farce

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a light dramatic composition marked by broadly satirical comedy and improbable plot
b
: the broad humor characteristic of farce
2
: an empty or patently ridiculous act, proceeding, or situation
the trial became a farce
3
: a savory stuffing : forcemeat

farce

2 of 2

verb

farced; farcing

transitive verb

1
: stuff
2
: to improve or expand (something, such as a literary work) as if by stuffing

Did you know?

From Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, many of us are familiar with farce in its dramatic sense. However, when farce first appeared in English, it had to do with cookery, not comedy. In the 14th century, English adopted farce from Middle French with its original meaning of "forcemeat"—that is, a highly seasoned, minced meat or fish often served as a stuffing. In the 16th century, English imported the word again, this time to refer to a kind of knockabout comedy already popular in France. French farce had its origins in the 13th-century practice of "stuffing" Latin church texts with explanatory phrases. By the 15th century, a similar practice of inserting unscripted buffoonery into religious plays had arisen. Such farces—which included clowning, acrobatics, reversal of social roles, and indecency—soon developed into a distinct dramatic genre and spread rapidly in various forms throughout Europe.

Examples of farce in a Sentence

Noun an actor with a talent for farce the recall of a duly elected official for a frivolous reason is not democracy in action but a farce
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The mind shuffles through decades of horror and farce, conjuring worst cases. Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2024 Segel, a man with resting Muppet face, screams when caught off-guard, does Cookie Monster impressions, and, at one point later in the new season, turns choking on a grape into a brief one-man farce. Jen Chaney, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2024
Verb
Others might go right to farce for the 60-game schedule, the make-it-up-as-you-go-along rule changes, the runner-on-second rule to start extra innings and three-batters-per-pitcher minimum. Evan Grant, Dallas News, 28 Oct. 2020 As the season progresses, though, the pathos largely gives way to farce. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 23 Aug. 2021 See all Example Sentences for farce 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English farse, from Middle French farce, from Vulgar Latin *farsa, from Latin, feminine of farsus, past participle of farcire

Verb

Middle English farsen, from Anglo-French farsir, from Latin farcire

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of farce was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near farce

Cite this Entry

“Farce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/farce. Accessed 12 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

farce

noun
ˈfärs
1
: a play about ridiculous and absurd situations that is intended to make people laugh
2
: humor characteristic of a farce
3
: something that is ridiculous
farcical
ˈfär-si-kəl
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on farce

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