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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
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
-
The jaw-dropping transformations prompted a hilarious running joke in the comments section from viewers seeking glow-ups of their own.—
Catherine Santino,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
-
For too long, Charlotte has been a running joke of a pro sports city.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Apr. 2026
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.—
Thomas Tracy,
New York Daily News,
25 Feb. 2026
-
So much so that a cheeky George Clooney let loose a certain four-letter word while jesting about a fellow actor.—
KiMi Robinson,
USA Today,
10 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
What follows is a crescendo of bloody madness, including a gruesome toenail cutting scene that shouldn’t be viewed while eating, a grandma being eaten alive by a pack of coyotes and a truly bonkers wake that erupts into laugh-out-loud violence thanks to a pair of dentures.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
-
With sparse amounts of slapstick, this staging isn’t the most physical of farces, though Lutz and Enriquez in particular strike some laugh-out-loud poses.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
There was none of the usual laughing and joking.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
-
Lindsay says that Jesse was serious about asking, but that the make-out would be a joking make-out.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
4 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Jape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jape. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
