1
a
: a feeling of great happiness or pleasure : delight
Seeing you happy gives me such joy.
They were shouting/jumping for joy. [=they shouted/jumped because they were very happy]
b
: the expression or exhibition of such emotion
a gathering full of joy and laughter
2
: a state of great happiness : bliss
wishes of love, joy, and peace for all
3
: a source or cause of delight
The sun is the joy and the sorrow of the people. It destroys their crops while it warms them with the heat they could not live without.—
Maia Wojciechowska
Maia WojciechowskaDiscovering something new is one of the great joys of eating out.—Tim Fish
Tim FishThe old boat was his pride and joy.
The baby is a little bundle of joy.
joyed; joying; joys
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
Recent Examples on the Web
Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2026
Tech innovator invests in joy without screens For Partovi too, music has been a constant since childhood.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 24 May 2026
But the real joy here is the wine list, which is stocked with everything from hard-to-find and private-order bottles to biodynamic selections, organic Burgundies, and orange wines.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 May 2026
The Labour government has whacked levies on private schools, introduced mansion taxes and is attempting to redistribute the nation’s wealth at a pace that would make Vladimir Lenin weep with joy.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for joy
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Noun
Not basketball, after Fiebig recalled trying it and instead finding more joy in sitting on the court.
—Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 24 May 2026
Tech innovator invests in joy without screens For Partovi too, music has been a constant since childhood.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 24 May 2026
But the real joy here is the wine list, which is stocked with everything from hard-to-find and private-order bottles to biodynamic selections, organic Burgundies, and orange wines.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 May 2026
The Labour government has whacked levies on private schools, introduced mansion taxes and is attempting to redistribute the nation’s wealth at a pace that would make Vladimir Lenin weep with joy.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for joy
Cite this Entry
“Joy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/joy. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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