japing

verb

present participle of jape
as in joking
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

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for japing
  1. joking
  2. jesting
Verb
  • The au naturel prix-fixes ignited controversy the moment the restaurant’s flyer started circulating on social media in late June, with most chatter ranging from joking to serious, bawdy to scandalized.
    — Phillip Valys, Sun Sentinel, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The video then cuts to footage of Reese and Bueckers, apparently at practice during last weekend’s All-Star festivities in Chicago, joking around and making a friendly wager with each other on the Dream-Wings game later that week.
    — Chuck Schilken, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of joking
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
Definition of jesting
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.

Browse Nearby Words

japes
japing
jar
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Cite this Entry

“Japing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/japing. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on japing

Nglish: Translation of japing for Spanish Speakers

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