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
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2026
Aim for depth, and keep joy in focus.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2026
Some programs have built their identity on hard coaching or amassing the most talent possible, and while Campbell isn’t soft on his players, he’s opted to create a culture of joy that’s led to TCU signing Van Lith and Miles.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Mar. 2026
Indeed, the livestream shows Kong in tears as several female colleagues sporting broad smiles pat his shoulders as if to remind him these are tears of joy.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for joy
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Noun
My ila facial was pure joy—no painful extraction or aggravating scrubs here.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2026
Aim for depth, and keep joy in focus.
—Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 30 Mar. 2026
Some programs have built their identity on hard coaching or amassing the most talent possible, and while Campbell isn’t soft on his players, he’s opted to create a culture of joy that’s led to TCU signing Van Lith and Miles.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Mar. 2026
Indeed, the livestream shows Kong in tears as several female colleagues sporting broad smiles pat his shoulders as if to remind him these are tears of joy.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 29 Mar. 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 31 Mar. 2026.
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