one-liner

noun

one-lin·​er ˌwən-ˈlī-nər 

1

: a very succinct joke or witticism

2

: a succinct or meaningful and especially accurate statement

Synonyms of one-liner

• joke
• laugh
• joking

Examples of one-liner in a Sentence

the senator deftly inserted some smart one-liners into an otherwise sober speech

Recent Examples on the Web

Two mysterious drifters never speak; their inner monologues carry us across absurdist one-liners, weird tales, and stream-of-consciousness musings. — Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 23 Sep. 2026

There are plenty of jump scares, to be sure, but also hilarious moments that play like deadpan one-liners rendered in visual terms. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 16 Sep. 2026

The season’s runaway favorite, however, was The Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Phaedra Parks, whose cutthroat Traitor strategy — replete with sparkly eye shadow and sharp one-liners — got her almost all the way to the finish line. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026

The actress sits down with Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, Maisie Williams, Lee Pace and Xolo Maridueña for Entertainment Weekly’s Around the Table video series and pulls out a one-liner that had the all-star cast rolling. — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for one-liner

• airliner
• combiner
• designer
• diviner
• eyeliner
• headliner
• pulvinar
• recliner
• refiner
• diner
• finer
• liner