How to Use pun in a Sentence

pun

1 of 2 noun
  • The delicatessen is sandwiched, if you'll pardon the pun, between two stores.
  • She's a skillful pilot whose career has—no pun intended—really taken off.
  • Please excuse the pun, but what was the genesis for The Book of Clarence?
    Alex Ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Oct. 2023
  • Best short pun: Many years ago, Cardiff merged with the City of Encinitas.
    Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Apr. 2023
  • And sometimes a kitchen knife, excuse the pun, just won't cut it.
    Janae McKenzie, House Beautiful, 26 July 2023
  • Commenters had fun with cheesy puns in the comments of the Facebook post.
    Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 10 Aug. 2023
  • There was a little bird pun in there with flying by the seat of your pants.
    Lauren Huff, EW.com, 23 Feb. 2023
  • It’s been a twisty path, to say the least—pun fully intended.
    Lauren Tappan, ELLE, 3 June 2023
  • All the while, the melody swings from sweet to sour (pardon the pun), angelic to chaotic.
    Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 7 Sep. 2023
  • One, there are plenty of fish (pun intended) in the sea.
    Sabrina Talbert, Women's Health, 15 Apr. 2023
  • More like a guy who would make a bad pun about eggs to be endearing.
    Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2022
  • And there’s this: craft grain mills have sprouted (pun intended) in the area.
    Pamela Wright, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Apr. 2023
  • One of the top puns top guns was Darren Cunningham, of Kearny Mesa.
    Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2024
  • Well, thanks for taking the time to chat, no pun intended.
    Lauren Goode, WIRED, 8 Jan. 2024
  • And the Cheetos thing has just been, no pun intended, the hot food trend for quite some time now.
    Abigail Rosenthal, Chron, 6 Mar. 2023
  • Enjoy 24 loose-leaf teas that come in compostable pouches that have a cute pun on the back.
    Katarina Avendaño, Good Housekeeping, 27 Sep. 2022
  • Observers online were quick on the puns while commenting on the news.
    Jireh Deng, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024
  • Game night lovers typically get a kick out of a good pun or a bad dad joke.
    Mark Stock, Men's Health, 6 Dec. 2022
  • That many people groan rather than laugh at puns doesn’t mean that the punnery isn’t funnery.
    Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Mar. 2023
  • But the multiple bird puns in this short press release won us over.
    oregonlive, 26 July 2023
  • When a player picks a card, everyone has 90 seconds to come up with the best (or worst) pun for a chance to win.
    Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, 26 Sep. 2022
  • And that’s where the shady side, no pun intended, of tree planting comes into view.
    Quartz Staff, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2023
  • This will free up space yet still cover you in a pinch (pun intended).
    Eben Weiss, Outside Online, 24 Nov. 2022
  • Keke does a little bump and grind (not sorry about that pun) during an SNL sketch.
    Stephanie Sengwe, Peoplemag, 2 Feb. 2023
  • The pun is crystal clear in its cleverness, yet there’s a third layer of meaning to it.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 3 Sep. 2023
  • But that song seemed to just kind of keep sailing — no pun intended — and keep going.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 12 Dec. 2022
  • This -- as everybody hand wrings about Biden and Trump -- no pun intended -- this is the trump card for Democrats?
    Nbc Universal, NBC News, 13 Aug. 2023
  • There might still be—pardon the pun—a valuation gap to peers.
    Jinjoo Lee, WSJ, 9 Mar. 2023
  • From heartwarming and sweet to funny and clever one-liners, here are the best puns for every kind of mom.
    Martha Sorren, Woman's Day, 20 Mar. 2023
  • Chit Chaat Cafe’s name isn’t just a clever pun but an accurate description of the restastation (stationaunt?).
    Travis M. Andrews, Washington Post, 12 Mar. 2024
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pun

2 of 2 verb
  • In spellings like conte, kointe, queinte, quoynte, and quaint, medieval authors—notably Chaucer—punned on the word.
    Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, 5 June 2018
  • For fashion-lovers like ourselves, this is a prime time — pun 100 percent intended — to stock up on staple pieces at way cheaper price points.
    Kaleigh Fasanella, Teen Vogue, 11 July 2017
  • The answer to this question became the performance’s punning title.
    Jonah Weiner, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2017
  • Has Trump punned about Kamala Harris not coming out of an elevator alive?
    Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, 27 Aug. 2019
  • Das Leek Neill collaborates — remotely — with fellow actor Steven Weber in a punning short film.
    Clark Collis, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2020
  • Richardson uses words impishly, rhyming, punning and twisting idioms at a prodigious rate.
    Giles Harvey, New York Times, 3 July 2018
  • His lesson escalates into a campy tap routine, with funny title-punning blackouts during the traditional breaks in the music.
    Brian Seibert, New York Times, 15 May 2018
  • Saucy, punning monikers like Hazel Honeysuckle and Gal Friday are all of a piece with elaborate makeup jobs and spectacular, sometimes quasi-fantastical costuming — designed with rapid disrobing in mind.
    Neil Young, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Sep. 2017
  • In spellings like conte, kointe, queinte, quoynte, and quaint, medieval authors—notably Chaucer—punned on the word.
    Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, 5 June 2018
  • For fashion-lovers like ourselves, this is a prime time — pun 100 percent intended — to stock up on staple pieces at way cheaper price points.
    Kaleigh Fasanella, Teen Vogue, 11 July 2017
  • The answer to this question became the performance’s punning title.
    Jonah Weiner, New York Times, 15 Mar. 2017
  • Has Trump punned about Kamala Harris not coming out of an elevator alive?
    Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, 27 Aug. 2019
  • Das Leek Neill collaborates — remotely — with fellow actor Steven Weber in a punning short film.
    Clark Collis, EW.com, 12 Apr. 2020
  • Richardson uses words impishly, rhyming, punning and twisting idioms at a prodigious rate.
    Giles Harvey, New York Times, 3 July 2018
  • His lesson escalates into a campy tap routine, with funny title-punning blackouts during the traditional breaks in the music.
    Brian Seibert, New York Times, 15 May 2018
  • Saucy, punning monikers like Hazel Honeysuckle and Gal Friday are all of a piece with elaborate makeup jobs and spectacular, sometimes quasi-fantastical costuming — designed with rapid disrobing in mind.
    Neil Young, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Sep. 2017

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pun.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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