joker

play

noun jok·er \ ˈjō-kər \

Definition of joker

1 a :a person given to joking :wag

b :fellow, guy; especially :an insignificant, obnoxious, or incompetent person

a shame to let a joker like this win
—Harold Robbins

2 :a playing card added to a pack as a wild card or as the highest-ranking card

3 a (1) :an ambiguous or apparently immaterial clause inserted in a legislative bill to make it inoperative or uncertain in some respect

(2) :an unsuspected, misleading, or misunderstood clause, phrase, or word in a document that nullifies or greatly alters it

b :something (such as an expedient or stratagem) held in reserve to gain an end or escape from a predicament

c :an unsuspected or not readily apparent fact, factor, or condition that thwarts or nullifies a seeming advantage

See joker defined for English-language learners

See joker defined for kids

Examples of joker in a Sentence

Jokers are wild in this game.
I can't believe I let that joker beat me.
Some joker hit our car.

Recent Examples of joker from the Web

Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy has become a bit of a joker on social media since his move to Manchester and his most recent exchanges with Portuguese restaurant Nando's could be his funniest yet.

— SI.com, "Manchester City Full-Back Benjamin Mendy Exchanges Banter on Twitter With Nando's," 24 Aug. 2017
The man who shot the starter pistol, the unlucky joker, is killed immediately.

— alexander nazaryan, Newsweek, "Kathryn Bigelow's 'Detroit' Is a Well-Intentioned Misfire," 26 July 2017
The top three finishers are typically the ones who know when to take their joker lap at the opportune time without watching the rest of the group pass them up before the race is over.

— austin irwin, Car and Driver, "Hold Onto Your Pace Notes: Dirt 4 Reviewed," 13 July 2017
But what these same jokers like to forget is that the state’s right debate itself ... stemmed from certain states wanting to own black people as slaves.

— clarkisha kent, The Root, "Sophia Coppola’s Blatant Erasure of Black Women in The Beguiled Highlights How White Women Are Complicit in White Supremacy," 25 June 2017
Which, in layman’s terms, means many jokers and viewers in its orbit are delusional.

— nick canepa, sandiegouniontribune.com, "NBA may be fantastic, but Warriors far from all-time best," 17 June 2017
A fight against a massive troll named Bruz the Chopper who, once dominated, turned into an amenable joker with an Australian accent.

— brad chacos, PCWorld, "40 must-see PC gaming gems from E3 2017: Watch every trailer," 13 June 2017
Elon Musk’s perpetual joker grin is probably a little wider today.

— kyle stock, Bloomberg.com, "Chevy’s Bolt Creeps Along While Tesla Readies For a Sprint," 1 June 2017
Care packages filled with whoopee cushions and fake spiders would have kept these jokers in business all summer.

— sarah letrent, CNN, "Summer camp love stories," 26 May 2017

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

First Known Use of joker

circa 1726

joker Synonyms

Synonyms

card, comedian, comic, droll, farceur, funnyman, gagger, gagman, gagster, jester, humorist, jokester, wag, wit

Related Words

comedienne, entertainer; banterer, cutup, kidder, knockabout, practical joker, prankster, quipper, quipster, teaser, wisecracker; buffoon, clown, fool, harlequin, zany; caricaturist, lampooner, parodist, satirist

Near Antonyms

hero, heroine, idol, role model; gentleman, lady; angel, saint

JOKER Defined for English Language Learners

joker

play

noun

Definition of joker for English Language Learners

: a person who tells or makes many jokes
: an extra card used in some card games usually as a wild card
: an annoying, stupid, or offensive person

JOKER Defined for Kids

joker

play

noun jok·er \ ˈjō-kər \

Definition of joker for Students

1 :a person who says or does things to make others laugh

2 :an extra card used in some card games

Learn More about joker

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

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Examples of joker in a Sentence

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First Known Use of joker

joker Synonyms

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Near Antonyms

JOKER Defined for English Language Learners

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Definition of joker for English Language Learners

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