1
as in laugh
something said or done to cause laughter
he was known for his hilarious jokes
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2
as in parody
a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something
her rendition of the national anthem is a joke
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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
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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of joke
Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 May 2026
Sliding effortlessly from incisive observer to chaotic flirt to exhausting narcissist, Firstman is never not in on the joke.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 13 May 2026
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 May 2026
The first walkthrough was in the hotel’s fitness center, where receivers could only run three-yard routes because the room was so small, Klubnik joked to the media.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for joke
Noun
Aimed mainly toward men between 18 and 49 years old, hot talk mixed vulgar jokes with talk about pop culture and politics and often took political positions contrary to feminism and liberalism.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 May 2026
Sliding effortlessly from incisive observer to chaotic flirt to exhausting narcissist, Firstman is never not in on the joke.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 13 May 2026
Verb
The Pork Choppers used to joke that Republicans could caucus in a phone booth.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 11 May 2026
The first walkthrough was in the hotel’s fitness center, where receivers could only run three-yard routes because the room was so small, Klubnik joked to the media.
—Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 11 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for joke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joke
Noun
-
But when the Phillies remember the good times — the champagne toasts, the boisterous October clubhouses, the laughs shared on the field in the clubhouse — Suarez will always be there.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
Hammond spent a year at the Comedy Cellar trying to crack Al Gore and never got a laugh.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Both a parody of action films and a legitimately great action film on its own terms, this is one of the best genre hybrids of the aughts.—
Brian Tallerico,
Vulture,
11 May 2026
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The film from Picturehouse has over 85K social followers on its parody Instagram account (@bboymalone212).—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Here are three fool-proof tips to stay ahead of the curve during the volatility to come.—
Solo Ceesay,
Rolling Stone,
7 May 2026
-
The Quince Revive Nylon Crescent Shoulder Bag is just $32, but don’t let its affordable price fool you.—
Destinee Scott,
Travel + Leisure,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
All the thespian’s chemistry felt less like castmates promoting a production and more like siblings teasing one another out of deep affection.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
18 May 2026
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Rumors are flying that Google will unveil or tease its Gemini 4 AI model — and that's a big deal because the introduction of Gemini 3 in November was a huge success and sent shares rallying .—
Zev Fima,Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
17 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
-
Gangsta rap’s effectiveness as a prosecutorial tool, like the minstrel shows before it, depends on audiences mistaking caricature for authenticity, and hinges on hearing artistic expression as documentary evidence of criminal actions.—
A.D. Carson,
The Conversation,
6 May 2026
-
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
Noun
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The group blamed both the army and RSF and said some drones use visual monitoring technology capable of distinguishing targets, raising concerns that the attacks may not have been indiscriminate.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 May 2026
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Barca’s No 1 forward target is Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez, who club sources believe would be keen to join, while recognising negotiations with Atletico could be very tough.—
Pol Ballús,
New York Times,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
And, don’t kid yourself, the Thunder aren’t going anywhere for a long, long time.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
-
Gosling, of course, was kidding.—
Jake Coyle,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joke. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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