one-liner
noun
one-lin·er
ˌwən-ˈlī-nər 
1
: a very succinct joke or witticism
2
: a succinct or meaningful and especially accurate statement
Synonyms
Examples of one-liner in a Sentence
the senator deftly inserted some smart one-liners into an otherwise sober speech
Recent Examples on the Web
The host’s monologues, with biting one-liners about his new city, are also quintessential Mulaney: strong rhythm, witty criticism and a dash of eccentricity.
—
Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2024
The show’s evolving love triangles, new students and iconic one-liners had the hashtag #HeartbreakHigh reach over 2 billion views on TikTok.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 9 May 2024
Just like in previous seasons, the jokes were full of witty one-liners and name drops, with one scene focused entirely on Tom Cruise’s elusive coconut cake.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
For decades, Munger and Buffett functioned as a classic comedy duo, with Buffett offering lengthy setups to Munger’s witty one-liners.
—Josh Funk, Fortune, 6 May 2024
Back in 2017, their press tour for Spider-Man: Homecoming was a flirtatious tour de force: Zendaya always doubled over in laughter, Tom comforting an anxious Zendaya with a gentle hand on her knee, both of them constantly pulling the same silly face or one-liner out at the same exact time.
—Ivana Rihter, Vogue, 3 May 2024
Just like those previous occasions, the latest sketch features Gosling doing his best to hold it together but inevitably cracking up during one of McKinnon’s killer one-liners.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 14 Apr. 2024
The controversial exchange—full of bizarre explanations and quotable one-liners—went on to cause a global storm, and led to the Prince stepping back from royal duties just days later.
—Armani Syed, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
As the younger of two daughters to a divorced single mom, Bertinelli’s Barbara Cooper was the picture of precocity, displaying her rapier wit in zippy one-liners.
—Mayukh Sen, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
Matt Brennan, Los Angeles Times, 17 May 2024
The show’s evolving love triangles, new students and iconic one-liners had the hashtag #HeartbreakHigh reach over 2 billion views on TikTok.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 9 May 2024
Just like in previous seasons, the jokes were full of witty one-liners and name drops, with one scene focused entirely on Tom Cruise’s elusive coconut cake.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 7 May 2024
For decades, Munger and Buffett functioned as a classic comedy duo, with Buffett offering lengthy setups to Munger’s witty one-liners.
—Josh Funk, Fortune, 6 May 2024
Back in 2017, their press tour for Spider-Man: Homecoming was a flirtatious tour de force: Zendaya always doubled over in laughter, Tom comforting an anxious Zendaya with a gentle hand on her knee, both of them constantly pulling the same silly face or one-liner out at the same exact time.
—Ivana Rihter, Vogue, 3 May 2024
Just like those previous occasions, the latest sketch features Gosling doing his best to hold it together but inevitably cracking up during one of McKinnon’s killer one-liners.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 14 Apr. 2024
The controversial exchange—full of bizarre explanations and quotable one-liners—went on to cause a global storm, and led to the Prince stepping back from royal duties just days later.
—Armani Syed, TIME, 5 Apr. 2024
As the younger of two daughters to a divorced single mom, Bertinelli’s Barbara Cooper was the picture of precocity, displaying her rapier wit in zippy one-liners.
—Mayukh Sen, Washington Post, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'one-liner.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near one-liner
Cite this Entry
“One-liner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-liner. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
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