joke

noun \ ˈjōk \

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

What may be a harmless practical joke could actually be a matter of life and death.

— forrest sellers, Cincinnati.com, "West Side police to school rivals: Stop defacing Ebenezer signs," 29 Aug. 2017
Jeff Foxworthy has been telling redneck jokes (often alongside Larry the Cable Guy) for a quarter of a century.

— théoden janes, charlotteobserver, "Here’s what Larry the Cable Guy sounds like when he’s not Larry the Cable Guy," 28 Aug. 2017
The fighters initially teased the matchup on Twitter and Instagram as an apparent joke in the spring of 2016.

— nancy kidder, The Atlantic, "Four Ways of Looking at Mayweather vs. McGregor," 25 Aug. 2017
In its haste to avoid becoming the target of dumb jokes by sports bloggers, ESPN has created a full-blown controversy for Travis, Matt Drudge, and Breitbart News, among other right-wing thought leaders.

— adam k. raymond, Daily Intelligencer, "ESPN Removes Announcer Robert Lee From UVA Game Citing the ‘Coincidence of His Name’," 23 Aug. 2017
This isn't a joke: In the late 1980s, domestic airline passengers could cut it that close without losing their sanity.

— barbara peterson, CNT, "What Airports Were Like in 1987," 23 Aug. 2017
People make and share memes that glorify President Trump and make jokes of Hitler and the Holocaust.

— terrence mccoy, chicagotribune.com, "The road to hate: For six young men of the alt-right, Charlottesville is only the beginning," 20 Aug. 2017
How Short Is Kit Harington?: The actor’s height seems to be the new running joke of Season 7.

— joanna robinson, HWD, "Game of Thrones: 11 Burning Questions About White Walkers, Dragons, and More," 20 Aug. 2017
Some other projects haven't worked out just yet, Hutson reports, such as a tool to create new jokes.

— ben panko, Smithsonian, "AI Is Edging Into the Art World in Psychedelic Ways," 18 Aug. 2017

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

See Words from the same year

joke Synonyms

Synonyms

boff (or boffo), boffola, crack, drollery, funny, gag, giggle [chiefly British], jape, jest, josh, laugh, nifty, one-liner, pleasantry, quip, rib, sally, waggery, wisecrack, witticism, yuk (or yuck also yak or yock) [slang]

Related Words

funning, joking, wisecracking; knee-slapper, panic [slang], riot, scream, thigh-slapper; antic, buffoonery, caper, leg-pull, monkeyshine (s), practical joke, prank, trick; burlesque, caricature, lampoon, mock, mockery, parody, put-on, riff; banter, kidding, persiflage, raillery, repartee; drollness, facetiousness, funniness, hilariousness, humorousness; comedy, humor, wit, wordplay

Near Antonyms

homage, tribute

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.

Recent Examples of joke from the Web

Later in the film, after Marie has returned home from a trip, the foursome relax for a game of cards and instantly slip into their old family rhythm again, joking and teasing.

— j.r. jones, Chicago Reader, "Marriage is too close for comfort in After Love and I Do . . . Until I Don’t," 30 Aug. 2017
Herbert put on muscle, prompting Ducks first-year coach Willie Taggart to joke that the sophomore signal-caller kept strutting around shirtless.

— USA TODAY, "Oregon QB worked to become a leader in the offseason," 28 Aug. 2017
Although more tears were shed throughout the walk, Sandeen, who was accompanied by her mother and father, also laughed and joked with Leekley and her family.

— yadira sanchez olson, Lake County News-Sun, "'A priceless gift': Heart-transplant recipient bonds with donor's family at charity walk," 27 Aug. 2017
Justin Thomas has been joking about his hair loss for a while now.

— alysha tsuji, The Courier-Journal, "Justin Thomas received comically cruel note about his hair," 24 Aug. 2017
While social scientists have come up with databases of which jokes people think are funniest, this study is investigating humor at the atomic level.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Bepob Over Here Nitwit: Study Identifies the Funniest Words in the English Language," 3 Aug. 2017
Jay Thomas’s character on Cheers got hit by a Zamboni after the actor joked about having to kiss Rhea Perlman, who played Carla.

— laura bradley, vanityfair.com, "Kevin Can Wait Is Killing Off Its Female Lead—But Why?," 1 Aug. 2017
Viverito joked about his first experience watching lacrosse, standing with his father on the sideline.

— gene chamberlain, Elgin Courier-News, "Kyle Viverito and South Elgin linebackers cross over to gain speed," 26 July 2017
Before the game, people joked on Twitter that Lonzo was scared of Fox.

— thomas oide, sacbee, "LaVar Ball says Lonzo didn’t purposely avoid De’Aaron Fox in NBA Summer League," 18 July 2017

First Known Use of joke

1670

joke Synonyms

Synonyms

banter, chaff, fool, fun, gag, jape, jest, jive, jolly, josh, kid, quip, wisecrack, yuk (or yuck) [slang], crack wise

Related Words

gibe (or jibe), haze, jeer, mock, rag, rally, razz, rib, ridicule, tease; caricature, lampoon, parody, satirize; amuse, divert, entertain

JOKE Defined for English Language Learners

joke

noun

Definition of joke for English Language Learners

: something said or done to cause laughter
: a brief story with a surprising and funny ending
: someone or something that is not worth taking seriously

joke

verb

Definition of joke for English Language Learners

: to say things that are meant to cause laughter : to make jokes about someone or something

JOKE Defined for Kids

joke

noun \ ˈjōk \

Definition of joke for Students

1 :something said or done to cause laughter or amusement

They hid his shoes as a joke.

2 :a very short story with a funny ending that is a surprise

The boys sat around telling jokes.

3 :something not worthy of being taken seriously

Her excuse was a joke.

joke

verb

Definition of joke for Students

joked; joking

1 :to say or do something to cause laughter or amusement

2 :to make funny remarks The children joked about my cooking.

Learn More about joke

See words that rhyme with joke Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for joke Spanish Central: Translation of joke Nglish: Translation of joke for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of joke for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about joke

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Near Antonyms

joke

Definition of joke

jokingly

Examples of joke in a Sentence

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First Known Use of joke

joke Synonyms

Synonyms

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JOKE Defined for English Language Learners

joke

Definition of joke for English Language Learners

joke

Definition of joke for English Language Learners

JOKE Defined for Kids

joke

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joke

Definition of joke for Students

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