in jest
idiom
formal + old-fashioned
: as a joke
I didn't mean to upset you; I only said it in jest.
Examples of in jest in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The second part of that answer was partly in jest, but there is a grain of truth there.
—
Mark Carey, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
That isn’t to say, however, that there isn’t some ribbing in jest between Bembury and Haliburton, who now count each other as friends.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2025
Rimmer clarified that the word bully was used only in jest.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
In selfie mode, the 43-year-old rolls her eyes in jest and tries her hardest to smile.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in jest
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Mark Carey, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
That isn’t to say, however, that there isn’t some ribbing in jest between Bembury and Haliburton, who now count each other as friends.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2025
Rimmer clarified that the word bully was used only in jest.
—Lucy Notarantonio, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
In selfie mode, the 43-year-old rolls her eyes in jest and tries her hardest to smile.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for in jest
Cite this Entry
“In jest.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/in%20jest. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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