as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
a close-knit family constantly exchanging lighthearted joshes at the dinner table
Synonyms & Similar Words
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1
2
as in to joke
to make jokes
a very outgoing man who joshes with everyone he meets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of josh
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Alas, even former presidents of the United States can’t just josh about such things.
—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
This worthy, if dry, news offered a pretext for the afternoon’s real show: watching as the Mayor joshed amiably with his other guests, four pre-K students from District Two.
—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2026
Cranston and Essiedu convey a father-son bond of unusual closeness — hugging, play-fighting, joshing; but this physical proximity will be repeated at the end of the play to devastatingly different effect.
—
Demetrios Matheou,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Nov. 2025
Cheryl — who jumped in the mosh pit briefly at the first party — hung out in the back, sitting on her walker and gently joshing Erika’s young son for wearing earplugs while a singer screamed into the microphone.
—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
13 Nov. 2025
Anatole is a painter, an artform which photographer Lucien good-naturedly joshes him will soon be obsolete.
—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
27 May 2025
See which companies are just joshing on social media — and which one has a real deal for you!
—
Brendan Le,
People.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Hudson’s accordion seems to come strolling in from a sidewalk serenade to meet Helm’s amused, exasperated vocal, joshing him along with countermelodies, trills and wheezily encouraging chords.
—
Jon Pareles,
New York Times,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
In a weird form of Shakespearean locker-room talk, the two josh each other about women; H is involved with Mina, while the Rude Boy renews his flirtation with Ophelia.
—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
His new show centers on three thick-necked, sweet-doofus sons of a buff weatherman dad, joshing around, learning valuable life lessons, and leaning on one another after the death of their mother.
—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
18 Mar. 2026
Alas, even former presidents of the United States can’t just josh about such things.
—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
This worthy, if dry, news offered a pretext for the afternoon’s real show: watching as the Mayor joshed amiably with his other guests, four pre-K students from District Two.
—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
19 Feb. 2026
Cranston and Essiedu convey a father-son bond of unusual closeness — hugging, play-fighting, joshing; but this physical proximity will be repeated at the end of the play to devastatingly different effect.
—
Demetrios Matheou,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Nov. 2025
Cheryl — who jumped in the mosh pit briefly at the first party — hung out in the back, sitting on her walker and gently joshing Erika’s young son for wearing earplugs while a singer screamed into the microphone.
—
Ariane Lange,
Sacbee.com,
13 Nov. 2025
Anatole is a painter, an artform which photographer Lucien good-naturedly joshes him will soon be obsolete.
—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
27 May 2025
See which companies are just joshing on social media — and which one has a real deal for you!
—
Brendan Le,
People.com,
1 Apr. 2025
Hudson’s accordion seems to come strolling in from a sidewalk serenade to meet Helm’s amused, exasperated vocal, joshing him along with countermelodies, trills and wheezily encouraging chords.
—
Jon Pareles,
New York Times,
24 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for josh
Noun
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New Delhi — What started as an online joke has now spilled onto the streets of India’s capital.
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Jan Paul van Hecke, a center-back who saw action on all parts of the pitch by both defending and scoring a goal, praised how the field held up — while also making a joke.
Verb
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Just kidding, but seeing Angela’s team sweep Shamea’s at the Bailey Bowl basketball tournament was almost as satisfying as knowing Charles got to witness his former team’s historic win in person.
-
Idaho law mandates that kids age 14 or younger wear a life jacket on the water, according to the city.
Noun
-
Steele’s portrayal of imperious, glamorous Tanya provides some of the show’s biggest laughs.
-
What makes this such an exhilarating watch is how the performers navigate every passive-aggressive aside, every catty comment, every choice bit of annoying behavior played for laughs, pathos, or both at once.
Verb
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Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, took over as chief executive of Relativity a little more than a year ago, teasing new areas of focus such as orbital data centers, philanthropic space science ventures, and national security missions.
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The singer has been teasing the song on tour this summer.
Noun
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Oh, but the Padres manager was ready with the joking last night.
-
Still, Yoon’s joking somehow lightens the mood.
Noun
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The Uber initiative is the latest sally in a long war pitting plaintiffs and their lawyers against businesses, with legal fees as the battleground.
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Prices of stocks and bonds, along with long-term interest rates, have oscillated up and down in response to the daily verbal sallies from the White House.
Cite this Entry
“Josh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/josh. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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