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
Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 6 May 2026
Even as a joke, to call it bad taste feels like a massive understatement.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 6 May 2026
Hedy Phillips, PEOPLE, 5 May 2026
Albanese, a keen disc jockey who performs at charity events under the stage name DJ Albo, joked about Takaichi’s renowned interest in heavy metal music.
—ABC News, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for joke
Noun
The 46-year-old stylist — who has been married to Swedish luxury developer Oscar Engelbert since 2016 — was reportedly having a good natured chat with Rihanna before the Rocky interaction, which centered around a joke about his necklace.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 6 May 2026
Even as a joke, to call it bad taste feels like a massive understatement.
—Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 6 May 2026
Verb
After a security check of the perimeter by some UFC fighters, Williams and Storrie entered the stage side-by-side and joked about their rapid rise in fame.
—Hedy Phillips, PEOPLE, 5 May 2026
Albanese, a keen disc jockey who performs at charity events under the stage name DJ Albo, joked about Takaichi’s renowned interest in heavy metal music.
—ABC News, 4 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for joke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joke
Noun
-
There are moments when Lily feels lost and anxious, and another scene where a panicked sheep knocks over furniture, although that is played for laughs.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
8 May 2026
-
Even Gawker’s star investigative reporter Adrian Chen, whose exposé of the dark web marketplace Silk Road was a huge scoop, could generate laughs.—
Frank DiGiacomo,
HollywoodReporter,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
The whole conversation with that executive felt like a parody of my industry.—
Ryan O'Connell,
HollywoodReporter,
4 May 2026
-
His deadpan humor comes through most brilliantly in Game Boy Tetris (2013–19), a parody of the logic of optimization that underpins capitalist culture.—
Emily Watlington,
ARTnews.com,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Post-draft outlook Don’t let the draft-weekend optimism fool you — the Cardinals have a long road ahead.—
Doug Haller,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
There is an old saying that people who represent themselves in court effectively have a fool for a lawyer.—
Caroline Kubzansky,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As a new filmmaker offering a new take on Leatherface more than 50 years after the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Curry Barker recently teased his plans for the reboot.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
2 May 2026
-
In an interview for Rolling Stone’s Future of Music series, the trio teased their evolving sound.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
The president has long bristled at the otherwise customary joking at his expense by celebrity comedians.—
Dennis Romero,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Here opposites — classy and brassy — are distractions, with odd-couple joking substituting for something more substantial.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Sacramento City Unified School District is looking to change a high school mascot which depicts a racial caricature that is offensive to the Indigenous community.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
1 May 2026
-
For kids, there will be a mobile video game truck, skills and drills stations, inflatables, balloon and caricature artist and a face painter.—
Kirk Kenney,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
While half of the analysts polled by LSEG have a buy or strong buy rating, the average price target implies a pullback of more than 12% over the next year.—
Alex Harring,
CNBC,
2 May 2026
-
Showing emotion could make someone a target.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
Gosling, of course, was kidding.—
Jake Coyle,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
-
Young Michael may have seemed strange, or just plain different, to kids his own age, but what about the adult Michael, whose professional life took him outside the family orbit and into offices, studios, and night clubs?—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
23 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joke. Accessed 9 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
