joy

noun

\ ˈjȯi

Definition of joy

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight

b : the expression or exhibition of such emotion : gaiety

2 : a state of happiness or felicity : bliss

3 : a source or cause of delight

joy

verb

joyed; joying; joys

Definition of joy (Entry 2 of 2)

intransitive verb

: to experience great pleasure or delight : rejoice

transitive verb

1 archaic : gladden

2 archaic : enjoy

Other Words from joy Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Phrases Containing joy Learn More About joy

Examples of joy in a Sentence

Noun Their sorrow turned to joy. I can hardly express the joy I felt at seeing her again. Seeing her again brought tears of joy to my eyes. The flowers are a joy to behold! What a joy it was to see her again. Verb the whole town is joying in the fact that its oldest church has been restored to its Victorian splendor See More

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun After her youngest child was born, Sam* struggled to find any joy in motherhood. — Melissa Whippo, Glamour, 23 June 2022 Loos & Company recently donated $500 to Camp Woodstock YMCA to help children of all circumstances experience the joy of summer camp. — Hartford Courant, 23 June 2022 My father’s joy in Borges’s words spread gently across his face in a smile that tugged at his lips and lit up his eyes. — Leslie Kendall Dye, The Atlantic, 19 June 2022 There was no such joy in the Celtics’ locker room after the loss. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 17 June 2022 There was joy in the air Saturday at Indy Pride's first in-person Pride parade since 2019. — Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 11 June 2022 The decision was met with joy in the travel industry, which for months has been lobbying the administration hard to get rid of the testing rule. — Arkansas Online, 11 June 2022 Those who have found great joy in working from home are dreading everything from the commute to the distractions of a busy office space. — Carylynn Larson, Forbes, 8 June 2022 There’s a particular joy in summer travel, to be sure. — Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2022 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb They joy and camaraderie between them was infectious. — Steve Baltin, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2022 Trump would know about taking the life and joy out of everything. — Neil J. Young, The Week, 30 July 2021 If people can pay good deeds forward, causing kindness to grow exponentially, can joy spread from one person to the next? — Washington Post, 11 Dec. 2021 The last album, performed by the L.A.-based ensemble Wild Up and overseen by Seth Parker Woods, Richard Valitutto, and Christopher Rountree, is the most vital of the lot—an ode of and to joy. — Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2021 And each has discovered ways to continue bringing light and joy into the world. — Julianna Morano, Dallas News, 16 Sep. 2021 This painting inspires joy rather like Hokusai’s beautiful blue skies, an almost tactile sense of the atmosphere as something that sustains and protects us. — Washington Post, 16 July 2021 Typically, a Tanglewood summer sends everyone off with Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 and its famous paean to joy. — BostonGlobe.com, 16 Aug. 2021 Burkina Faso gained its independence from France in 1960 -- and often joy. — Nick Remsen, CNN, 22 June 2021 See More

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