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
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
Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 11 July 2025
Sriram peppers her debut with offbeat characters, sometimes giving them names that are jokes in and of themselves.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 11 July 2025
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 11 July 2025
There were a lot of pranks, joking and just overall funny stuff that went on behind the scenes in or around the lunchroom.
—Corky Carroll, Oc Register, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for joke
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Noun
The Republican governor even poked a light joke at the energy surrounding the teams during his opening remarks.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 11 July 2025
Sriram peppers her debut with offbeat characters, sometimes giving them names that are jokes in and of themselves.
—Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 11 July 2025
Verb
But whether with Felix or on her own, Jessica is a bit all over the map, with her behavior frequently feeling like it’s meant to meet the needs of a particular scene or joke rather than as a consistent throughline for the season.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 11 July 2025
There were a lot of pranks, joking and just overall funny stuff that went on behind the scenes in or around the lunchroom.
—Corky Carroll, Oc Register, 11 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for joke
Cite this Entry
“Joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/joke. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
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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