as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
by the standards of today's no-holds-barred satire, Will Rogers' homespun japes about politicians seem awfully gentle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to joke
to make jokes
the characters in Oscar Wilde's plays jape with a readiness and sophistication that is rarely, if ever, encountered in real life
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of jape
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Mar. 2026
The camp hatred of Barney is really a leftover 1960s counterculture jape.
—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2026
That is when the japes really started, most prominently on a mid-season bonding trip to Barcelona when four players ‘borrowed’ a taxi after a late-night trip to McDonald’s.
—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Before this fifth season put him closer to the center of the action, Roddy had undoubtedly been a misfit among misfits at Slough House, a desk jockey who would hold court at his computer, issuing snide japes at anyone within earshot.
—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
8 Oct. 2025
Perhaps that’s why Hook’s japes hold a kernel of wisdom; the knowledge that when all else fails, finding the fun in absurd chaos (say, on a quiet London street) is an apt response to a chaotic world.
—
Daniel Seifert,
JSTOR Daily,
16 July 2025
The curators know who the target audience is: people who still get a kick out of decades-old barf japes.
—
Patrick Sauer,
Smithsonian Magazine,
17 Sep. 2024
This one happens to run on digital blood spatter, bootleg CGI and japes about genitalia, but the animus behind these films is nostalgia for the kind of pounding marquee movies of the 1980s and ‘90s, when the men were muscly and the misogyny was cool with everyone.
—
Katie Walsh,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Sep. 2023
wsj.com,
12 May 2023
Noun
Zings, barbs, and japes fly between the two, but the banter soon gives way to grand action set pieces.
—
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Mar. 2026
The camp hatred of Barney is really a leftover 1960s counterculture jape.
—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
24 Jan. 2026
That is when the japes really started, most prominently on a mid-season bonding trip to Barcelona when four players ‘borrowed’ a taxi after a late-night trip to McDonald’s.
—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
26 Oct. 2025
Before this fifth season put him closer to the center of the action, Roddy had undoubtedly been a misfit among misfits at Slough House, a desk jockey who would hold court at his computer, issuing snide japes at anyone within earshot.
—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
8 Oct. 2025
Perhaps that’s why Hook’s japes hold a kernel of wisdom; the knowledge that when all else fails, finding the fun in absurd chaos (say, on a quiet London street) is an apt response to a chaotic world.
—
Daniel Seifert,
JSTOR Daily,
16 July 2025
The curators know who the target audience is: people who still get a kick out of decades-old barf japes.
—
Patrick Sauer,
Smithsonian Magazine,
17 Sep. 2024
This one happens to run on digital blood spatter, bootleg CGI and japes about genitalia, but the animus behind these films is nostalgia for the kind of pounding marquee movies of the 1980s and ‘90s, when the men were muscly and the misogyny was cool with everyone.
—
Katie Walsh,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Sep. 2023
Verb
He is reported to have participated in a pestilential online gun culture, replete with tasteless japing about mass shootings.
—
wsj.com,
12 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jape
Noun
-
As the escape-room activity kicks off — the guests have 30 minutes to find Aesha’s crew — the boys find plenty of opportunity to make insinuating jokes about tying up the girls, some (Coop) more wholesome than others (Luke).
-
And as a distant relative jokes, many can be found on mortgages, loans and other debts.
Verb
-
Mamdani has said nobody should throw snowballs at cops — jesting that the public should throw them at him instead — but does not see it as a criminal matter.
-
So much so that a cheeky George Clooney let loose a certain four-letter word while jesting about a fellow actor.
Noun
-
Steele’s portrayal of imperious, glamorous Tanya provides some of the show’s biggest laughs.
-
What makes this such an exhilarating watch is how the performers navigate every passive-aggressive aside, every catty comment, every choice bit of annoying behavior played for laughs, pathos, or both at once.
Noun
-
Oh, but the Padres manager was ready with the joking last night.
-
Still, Yoon’s joking somehow lightens the mood.
Cite this Entry
“Jape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jape. Accessed 2 Jul. 2026.
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