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

Both comments may have been said in jest, but like so much of Jerry’s handling of the Dallas Cowboys, there is a level of strain and fatigue among the fan base unlike any other point in his long tenure of the team. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Jan. 2026

The comment, while clearly in jest, was representative of something the Cowboys have been adamant about all week. —Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News, 2 Jan. 2026

Reid said in jest during a call with local reporters on Tuesday. —Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 31 Dec. 2025

Some decade and a monster contract extension later, Bonitto is the ringleader of an outside-linebacker group in Denver that verbally accost each other inside the locker room (mostly just Bonitto and Cooper, and mostly in jest) and compete in most every rep inside the facility. —Luca Evans, Denver Post, 21 Dec. 2025

Rhymes for in jest

• abreast
• accessed
• addressed
• appressed
• armrest
• arrest
• assessed
• attest
• backrest
• behest
• bequest
• caressed