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
d
2
: something not to be taken seriously : a trifling matter
consider his skiing a joke—
Harold Callender
—often used in negative constructionsHarold Callenderit is no joke to be lost in the desert
Synonyms
Examples of joke in a Sentence
Noun
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.
Verb
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 on the WebJonah Flicker, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
The best jokes weren’t thanks to memories of everything Larry has done in the past.
—Esther Zuckerman, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
The eclipse will begin in Indy soon around 1:50 p.m., and the internet is already abuzz with commentary and jokes about the solar event.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Apr. 2024
That wasn't the only joke Kourtney made at Kim's expense.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Every song is a banger, the jokes are rapid-fire, and 4eva is definitely too short.
—Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 6 Apr. 2024
Allen was always a superficial filmmaker who could come up with solid, memorable jokes.
—Armond White, National Review, 5 Apr. 2024
Once his post made its rounds online, social media users chimed in and made a few jokes.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Equally distressing are some of the conversations that follow, wherein Carmichael frantically parries his partner’s efforts to connect with distractions and jokes.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 11 Apr. 2024
Between songs, Sparhawk joked about the band being willing to play weddings and bar mitzvahs—any gig that paid.
—Justin Taylor, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2024
Roth joked about recommending strange arthouse movies to Greenblatt, including My Dinner With André and Andy Warhol’s Empire State Building film Empire, to the befuddlement of other cast members.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
Wallen then joked that his record is only temporary.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
His friends have long joked about his wearing rumpled suits or a Boy Scout outfit on a date.
—Michael Rothfeld Emily Woo Zeller Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Bostonians often joke that the city's many winding, one-way streets were adapted from colonial-era cow paths—routes literally created by livestock—that long predate the automobile.
—Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Apr. 2024
Those on the West Coast, who have more experience with earthquakes, joked about East Coasters' first time experiencing a seismic event.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Chad Deutsch, in accepting for Toyota, joked that this may be the only time that Prius would compete against Ferrari and win.
—Scotty Reiss, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
But on April 1, the brand announced that XO Cafe was coming back for a limited time—and no, this was definitely not an April Fool’s joke.
—Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 9 Apr. 2024
The best jokes weren’t thanks to memories of everything Larry has done in the past.
—Esther Zuckerman, Rolling Stone, 8 Apr. 2024
The eclipse will begin in Indy soon around 1:50 p.m., and the internet is already abuzz with commentary and jokes about the solar event.
—Katie Wiseman, The Indianapolis Star, 8 Apr. 2024
That wasn't the only joke Kourtney made at Kim's expense.
—Hedy Phillips, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
Every song is a banger, the jokes are rapid-fire, and 4eva is definitely too short.
—Tanya Melendez, EW.com, 6 Apr. 2024
Allen was always a superficial filmmaker who could come up with solid, memorable jokes.
—Armond White, National Review, 5 Apr. 2024
Once his post made its rounds online, social media users chimed in and made a few jokes.
—Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 4 Apr. 2024
Equally distressing are some of the conversations that follow, wherein Carmichael frantically parries his partner’s efforts to connect with distractions and jokes.
—Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Verb
Some people joked that purple laser zaps extraterrestrial creatures in the eye while others took a mathematical approach to their inference.
—Brianna Taylor, Sacramento Bee, 11 Apr. 2024
Between songs, Sparhawk joked about the band being willing to play weddings and bar mitzvahs—any gig that paid.
—Justin Taylor, The New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2024
Roth joked about recommending strange arthouse movies to Greenblatt, including My Dinner With André and Andy Warhol’s Empire State Building film Empire, to the befuddlement of other cast members.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
Wallen then joked that his record is only temporary.
—Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
His friends have long joked about his wearing rumpled suits or a Boy Scout outfit on a date.
—Michael Rothfeld Emily Woo Zeller Krish Seenivasan David Mason, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
Bostonians often joke that the city's many winding, one-way streets were adapted from colonial-era cow paths—routes literally created by livestock—that long predate the automobile.
—Todd Plummer, Condé Nast Traveler, 8 Apr. 2024
Those on the West Coast, who have more experience with earthquakes, joked about East Coasters' first time experiencing a seismic event.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
Chad Deutsch, in accepting for Toyota, joked that this may be the only time that Prius would compete against Ferrari and win.
—Scotty Reiss, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'joke.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near joke
Cite this Entry
“Joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/joke. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
joke
1 of 2 noun1
a
: something said or done to cause laughter
especially
: a brief story with a humorous twist
b
: the humorous element in something
c
: good-natured kidding
can't take a joke
2
: something not to be taken seriously
that exam was a joke
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