1
as in jokes
something said or done to cause laughter
laughed politely at his feeble jest about his pet mosquito
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2
as in pranks
a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke
putting a mouse in her desk drawer was intended to be a harmless jest
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3
as in fools
a person or thing that is made fun of
his outlandish costumes made him the jest of the town
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in quips
to make jokes
when I asked my sister for a loan, she laughingly replied, "Surely you jest!"
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Recent Examples of jests
Usa Today, USA Today, 9 Nov. 2025
Noun
Be sure that your jests don’t become insults!
—Usa Today, USA Today, 9 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jests
Noun
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Martin gets some jokes about it, more from older generations than teammates or opponents.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
5 May 2026
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Commenters respond to the post As always, commenters were quick to jump on the opportunity to make jokes – in this case, about Kennedy's storied past with animals, especially of the wild persuasion.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
4 May 2026
Noun
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In the midst of one of their classic pranks, Ivy (Temple) and Ollie (Jordan) stumble into a magic flower and awaken in each other's body.—
Madeleine Janz,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
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And compared to some of Fleury’s past pranks on teammates, a few misplaced letters on a nameplate would be relatively light.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But Jim Parsons and Layton Williams all but run away with the evening, finding diabolical laughs as Rose’s helicopter mom and a Tina Turner-esque iceberg.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
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Boston Tea Party joke The monarch also drew laughs with tongue-in-cheek references to American history.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Jests.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jests. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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