as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
a close-knit family constantly exchanging lighthearted joshes at the dinner table
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as in to joke
to make jokes
a very outgoing man who joshes with everyone he meets
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Recent Examples of josh
Brendan Le, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
The family joshing and loving is great fun here; both Liss and Montana are terrific, live-wire young performers, thanks surely in part to Alex Mallory’s direction, and Rifai has given them a banquet of vibrant lines.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2025
Hudson’s accordion seems to come strolling in from a sidewalk serenade to meet Helm’s amused, exasperated vocal, joshing him along with countermelodies, trills and wheezily encouraging chords.
—Jon Pareles, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Elwood experiences some of the usual rigors of prison and reform school: the bullying, the joshing around, the discipline, the abuse.
—K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
Bale, speaking in a bland, hollow voice that has the slightest hint of frat-boy joshing, delivers a piece of polished, satiric archness that goes well beyond the obvious allegorical gag (capitalism = murder) into ... what, exactly?
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024
The movie’s best moments are the ones in which Mary and Paul camp out in front of the TV, drinking whiskey and joshing each other well into the wee hours.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2023
For over four decades, since taking over from Chuck Woolery, Sajak has been at that spot, joshing with Vanna White, heaving the wheel on final spins, wincing at Bankrupts and tethering exuberant winners.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 13 June 2023
Ripa—expertly self-deprecatory, humble in the face of escalating absurdities—joshed that their attendance was a form of punishment, and instead courted the home viewer’s attention.
—Troy Patterson, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2020
Verb
See which companies are just joshing on social media — and which one has a real deal for you!
—Brendan Le, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
The family joshing and loving is great fun here; both Liss and Montana are terrific, live-wire young performers, thanks surely in part to Alex Mallory’s direction, and Rifai has given them a banquet of vibrant lines.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2025
Hudson’s accordion seems to come strolling in from a sidewalk serenade to meet Helm’s amused, exasperated vocal, joshing him along with countermelodies, trills and wheezily encouraging chords.
—Jon Pareles, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Elwood experiences some of the usual rigors of prison and reform school: the bullying, the joshing around, the discipline, the abuse.
—K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
Bale, speaking in a bland, hollow voice that has the slightest hint of frat-boy joshing, delivers a piece of polished, satiric archness that goes well beyond the obvious allegorical gag (capitalism = murder) into ... what, exactly?
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024
The movie’s best moments are the ones in which Mary and Paul camp out in front of the TV, drinking whiskey and joshing each other well into the wee hours.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2023
For over four decades, since taking over from Chuck Woolery, Sajak has been at that spot, joshing with Vanna White, heaving the wheel on final spins, wincing at Bankrupts and tethering exuberant winners.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 13 June 2023
Ripa—expertly self-deprecatory, humble in the face of escalating absurdities—joshed that their attendance was a form of punishment, and instead courted the home viewer’s attention.
—Troy Patterson, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for josh
Noun
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Nikki Glaser applauds Joan’s candor about aging and plastic surgery, and Aubrey Plaza retires Joan’s not-so-politically-correct jokes.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
14 May 2025
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The joke was that Wallen, country music’s fastest-rising star, had been invited back after he was kicked off a prior episode for violating COVID protocol — i.e., making out with girls at a bar unmasked and getting caught on camera doing so.—
Alexandra Del Rosario,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2025
Verb
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But just kidding, actually $14 'cuz the orange tags were 50 percent off.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 May 2025
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All kidding aside, Armstrong believes Steen will be ready in 2026.—
Jeremy Rutherford,
New York Times,
7 May 2025
Noun
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Since Carter and Andersen could make each other laugh, that was enough.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
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Photos were taken, laughs were shared and much of the cast gave each other warm embraces all evening.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 May 2025
Verb
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In a Zoom conversation prior to the release of Reacher Season 3 in February, Ritchson and Sten playfully teased the possibility.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
-
Joy Behar teased, snapping Goldberg out of her short snooze.—
Emlyn Travis Published,
EW.com,
22 May 2025
Noun
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Prices of stocks and bonds, along with long-term interest rates, have oscillated up and down in response to the daily verbal sallies from the White House.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
27 Apr. 2025
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The most comprehensive sally, of course, is the administration’s drastic and abrupt cut in funding by the National Institutes of Health.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Zookeepers welcomed a new yak and now the baby and mama are bonding, Alaska officials said.—
Paloma Chavez,
Sacbee.com,
25 Mar. 2025
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The rule’s intention was to not only preserve nature and reduce helicopter traffic in the region, but to bolster the fading cultural practice and industry of yak herding.—
Jake Stern,
Outside Online,
13 Mar. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Josh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/josh. Accessed 27 May. 2025.
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