joke

1 of 2

noun

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
2
: something not to be taken seriously : a trifling matter
consider his skiing a jokeHarold Callender
often used in negative constructions
it is no joke to be lost in the desert

joke

2 of 2

verb

joked; joking

transitive verb

: to make the object of a joke : kid
jokingly adverb

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 Web
Noun
The Lester brothers deploy jokes with precision, taking aim at everything and everyone. Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Mar. 2024 Many Blake Lively fans think her latest Instagram joke was a rare miss. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 16 Mar. 2024 The jokes are layered over the most meaningful of revelations in the movie. USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 And then there’s Tier Three, the most sophisticated tier, where the joke is not so much on Kate or whatever ominous theory has been devised to explain her whereabouts, but on the utter ineptitude of the Royal Family to quell the rising surge of antipathy towards them. Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 14 Mar. 2024 Zany fairy-tale-tastic antics ensue — with multilevel jokes that manage to amuse both young and old. Ew Staff, EW.com, 14 Mar. 2024 Such complaints still come from a desire to see more of these women and the jokes supplied for them by creator Meredith Scardino and her writers. Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 March 13, 2024 For decades, New York City’s LaGuardia Airport had been the butt of many jokes. Rachel Chang, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 Mar. 2024 The joke was a hit and McNearney knew Kimmel was going to read the post, but that doesn't mean the issue is settled in the Kimmel-McNearney household. Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024
Verb
When the couple revealed their third child would be a girl, Jackson joked about having all daughters. Kaitlin Stevens, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2024 Washington — President Biden joked about former President Donald Trump during remarks at the Gridiron Club Dinner in Washington, D.C. late Saturday, turning criticism about his age on the former president as the general election gets underway. Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2024 Sweeney previously joked about the movie while hosting Saturday Night Live last month. Carly Thomas, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 Despite the pressure, the midfielder was laughing and joking with the children lining up in front of the players before kick-off, doing his best to reassure them amid the boisterous atmosphere created by the fans desperate to see their side progress in Europe’s premier competition. Ben Church, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024 Cho said Kentucky and South Korea share common interests, joking both have a taste for fried chicken and bourbon. The Courier-Journal, 13 Mar. 2024 O'Neal went on to joke that Jason will have plenty of time on his hands now, and needs to start helping out around the house. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024 That night, Pit informed the crowd in Raleigh, N.C., about their encounter and joked how the 78-year-old national treasure has something in common with his signature catchphrase. Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2024 For months, Biden has tried to joke his way out of voters’ concerns over his age — or worse, reacted angrily to questions about it. Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 4 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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

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

First Known Use

Noun

1670, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1670, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of joke was in 1670

Dictionary Entries Near joke

Cite this Entry

“Joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/joke. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

joke

1 of 2 noun
1
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

joke

2 of 2 verb
joked; joking
: to make jokes : jest
jokingly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on joke

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