joke

noun \ ˈjōk \

|Updated on: 2 Aug 2018

Examples: joke in a Sentence

Definition of joke

1 a : something said or done to provoke laughter; especially : a brief oral narrative with a climactic humorous twist

b (1) : the humorous or ridiculous element in something

(2) : an instance of jesting : kidding

can't take a joke

c : practical joke

d : laughingstock

2 : something not to be taken seriously : a trifling matter

consider his skiing a joke
—Harold Callender

—often used in negative constructions

it is no joke to be lost in the desert

See joke defined for English-language learners

See joke defined for kids

Examples of joke in a Sentence

She meant it as a joke, but many people took her seriously.
They played a harmless joke on him.
They are always making jokes about his car.
I heard a funny joke yesterday.
the punch line of a joke
I didn't get the joke.
That exam was a joke.
Their product became a joke in the industry.
He's in danger of becoming a national joke.

Recent Examples of joke from the Web

The stadium, which locals joke resembles an air filter from an old Lada car, is surrounded by water from two sides.

— ivan nechepurenko, New York Times, "Peeking Around Corners in the World Cup’s Provincial Cities," 14 July 2018
But a couple of decades later, the joke has lost a bit of its zing.

— david scharfenberg, BostonGlobe.com, "Did humans drive this polar bear insane?," 13 July 2018
Tveidt saw that his father used jokes to diffuse tension — just like him.

— michelle theriault boots, Anchorage Daily News, "An Anchorage newborn was found abandoned in a cardboard box 32 years ago. Against the odds, he found his biological father.," 12 July 2018
Between Prince William and Prince Harry, the former is usually better known for his cheesy quips and dad jokes.

— erica gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "Prince Harry Made a Savage Joke About His Dad and We All Missed It," 11 July 2018
These ties are so recognizable they’ve been turned into jokes.

— jennifer w. tsai, STAT, "You can’t tell a book by its cover — or a disease by Drake’s race," 11 July 2018
This is much more my speed—way better than conch jokes or spending more than 20 minutes with Garrett.

— anna moeslein, Glamour, "The Bachelorette Season 14 Episode 7 Recap: One of Becca's Guys Just Revealed a 'Big Secret'," 9 July 2018
Though only Altuve was voted in as a starter, Hinch promised Bregman playing time as recompense for handling the manager's Sunday morning clubhouse joke with such ease.

— chandler rome, Houston Chronicle, "5 Astros selected to AL All-Star team," 9 July 2018
There’s also a whacked-out running joke about a baby who resides in the Once-ler’s desk drawer, and is brought out at one point only to precipitate a small incident.

— james hebert, sandiegouniontribune.com, "At Old Globe, 'The Lorax' brings Dr. Seuss' environmental saga to vivid life," 8 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'joke.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of joke

Latin jocus; perhaps akin to Old High German gehan to say, Sanskrit yācati he asks

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1670

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

joke Synonyms

Synonyms

crack, drollery, funny, gag, jape, jest, laugh, one-liner, pleasantry, quip, rib, sally, waggery, wisecrack, witticism;

Related Words

funning, joking, wisecracking;

panic [slang], riot, scream;

antic, buffoonery, caper, monkeyshine(s), practical joke, prank, trick;

burlesque, caricature, lampoon, mock, mockery, parody, put-on, riff;

comedy, humor, wit, wordplay;

joke

verb

Definition of joke

joked; joking

intransitive verb

: to make jokes : jest

transitive verb

: to make the object of a joke : kid

—

jokingly

play \ˈjō-kiŋ-lē\ adverb

See joke defined for English-language learners

Examples of joke in a Sentence

My friends would joke about the uniform I had to wear at work.
She joked about the possibility of losing her job.
I thought he was joking when he said he might quit, but it turned out that he really meant it.
Don't take it seriously: I was only joking.
She spent a few minutes joking with reporters after giving her speech.
She joked that she could always get work as a truck driver if she lost her job.