1
as in laugh
something said or done to cause laughter
he was known for his hilarious jokes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in parody
a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something
her rendition of the national anthem is a joke
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fool
a person or thing that is made fun of
having lost his looks and his voice years ago, these days he's just a show business joke and fodder for late-night comedy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to fun
to make jokes
he was known for his ability to joke about his lack of anything resembling a social 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 joke
Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2025
Doyle, the longtime showrunner whose credits include Rules of Engagement, Last Man Standing and Better Off Ted, has always maintained the drawing was a joke.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 11 May 2025
Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 May 2025
At her Lifetimes Tour show in Chicago on Monday (May 12), the pop star joked about her public image with the crowd at the United Center.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for joke
Noun
The gimmick of the game show is interesting, though the prize money is a joke.
—Tony Maglio, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2025
Doyle, the longtime showrunner whose credits include Rules of Engagement, Last Man Standing and Better Off Ted, has always maintained the drawing was a joke.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 11 May 2025
Verb
Pitaro, who is one of the internal candidates to succeed Iger when his contract ends in 2026, joked about his task in stepping in front of several dozen reporters Tuesday.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 13 May 2025
At her Lifetimes Tour show in Chicago on Monday (May 12), the pop star joked about her public image with the crowd at the United Center.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 13 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for joke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joke
Noun
-
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
-
Since Carter and Andersen could make each other laugh, that was enough.—
John Tamny,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
Noun
-
There are plenty of weird conspiracies on TikTok about Beyoncé, both satirical and sincere, and the Zendaya big hat meme is a parody of an unhinged conspiracy theory.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2025
-
Wood wasn't the only person to address the SNL parody of The White Lotus, with SNL cast member Bowen Yang speaking about the incident in an interview with Extra.—
Joey Nolfi Published,
EW.com,
6 May 2025
Noun
-
There’s a holy fool quality to the boy, who is the subject of teasing.—
Charles McNulty,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2025
-
Hardly anyone would prefer to be made the fool — healthy skepticism can prevent you from clicking on a phishing link in an email or joining a multilevel marketing scheme — but a life of cynicism isn’t preferable either.—
Allie Volpe,
Vox,
7 May 2025
Verb
-
Prevost was so dedicated to becoming a priest, his brother would tease him about being the pope.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
11 May 2025
-
However, the new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has teased an agreement over the terms for such a ceasefire as Kyiv's allies meet in the Ukrainian capital this weekend.—
Brendan Cole,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 May 2025
Noun
-
Many of those loud and wrong critics are the usual suspects: conservatives who also believe diversity, equity and inclusion efforts are unnecessary and racist trolls who have used AI to turn the statue into a racist caricature.—
Taryn Finley,
Refinery29,
14 May 2025
-
Honey Boo Boo makes small, fleeting appearances throughout her interview for this week's cover story — a giggle here, a slight neck roll there — but Alana, now a 19-year-old college student at Regis University in Colorado, is no longer a caricature of her own making.—
Janine Rubenstein,
People.com,
13 May 2025
Noun
-
Presidents, however, have wide leeway in setting refugee resettlement targets.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
18 May 2025
-
Police and local authorities said Russia had struck a civilian target.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
17 May 2025
Verb
-
But just kidding, actually $14 'cuz the orange tags were 50 percent off.—
Soo Kim,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 May 2025
-
All kidding aside, Armstrong believes Steen will be ready in 2026.—
Jeremy Rutherford,
New York Times,
7 May 2025
Noun
-
In a clip shared by Billboard, Lipa swayed while singing a cover of the song with her band before breaking out into a giggle and making a heart with her hands towards the crowd.—
Mankaprr Conteh,
Rolling Stone,
12 May 2025
-
Michael Blackson, Funny Marco, and Hannibal Buress are just a few of the upcoming performers providing giggles and chuckles and tickets are on sale now.—
AvidXchange Music Factory,
Charlotte Observer,
8 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joke. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share