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
Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
There was so much joy and determination on display during these playoffs.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Together, these recipes tell a story of love, legacy, and the joy of gathering around a table filled with food that feels like home.
—Essence, 3 Nov. 2025
The news sparked immense joy from her fanbase, so much so that Rolling Stone reported a 400 percent increase in searches for her music on Spotify.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for joy
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Noun
There have always been fascist forces, there have always been people who are just terrible in the American government, but at the same time, there are always people who have resisted, and there are always people who have still found ways to create joy, to create life, to create art, despite these.
—Literary Hub, 3 Nov. 2025
There was so much joy and determination on display during these playoffs.
—David Remnick, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025
Together, these recipes tell a story of love, legacy, and the joy of gathering around a table filled with food that feels like home.
—Essence, 3 Nov. 2025
The news sparked immense joy from her fanbase, so much so that Rolling Stone reported a 400 percent increase in searches for her music on Spotify.
—Angie Martoccio, Rolling Stone, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for joy
Cite this Entry
“Joy.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/joy. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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