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
Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
This raises a problem for anyone wanting to tell a joke.
—Big Think, 5 Nov. 2025
Big Think, 5 Nov. 2025
Fixed with a seemingly permanent half-smile — detractors called it a smirk — Cheney joked about his outsize reputation as a stealthy manipulator.
—Calvin Woodward, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for joke
Noun
Plus, under the watchful eyes of veteran host Casey Wilson and newbie Andrew Rannells, the jokes never stop in the tent, as seen in another clip.
—Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025
This raises a problem for anyone wanting to tell a joke.
—Big Think, 5 Nov. 2025
Verb
What someone jokes about reflects their inner values and unseen workings.
—Big Think, 5 Nov. 2025
Fixed with a seemingly permanent half-smile — detractors called it a smirk — Cheney joked about his outsize reputation as a stealthy manipulator.
—Calvin Woodward, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for joke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joke
Noun
-
The Spartans got the last laugh for now, too, taking both games.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Katz said, feigning familiarity with the leader’s influence and drawing laughs from the audience.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The second posting of the parody quickly received 500,000 views and once again caught Wendy’s attention.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
5 Nov. 2025
-
The inspirations for the Love Connection parody were Miami Vice's Tubbs and Crockett, though Hall acknowledged her most immediate lookalike.—
Lex Goldstein,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The mind wants desperately to connect with a person—and fools itself into seeing one in a machine.—
Damon Beres,
The Atlantic,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Since medieval times, the colorful fool—from court jesters to Shakespeare’s characters—has used playful wit to critique authority and buffoonery to whip up excitement.—
Time,
Time,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Since then, Phlur has debuted another new body mist, Cashmere Skin, and teased a new Afterglow Eau de Parfum to launch before the end of the year.—
Noor Lobad,
Footwear News,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Said Stanton, who wrote the screenplay for the original pic and won Animated Feature Oscars for directing Finding Nemo and Wall-E, and Harris did tease more in today’s press release announcing the trailer.—
Patrick Hipes,
Deadline,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Self was in a joking mood when asked about the squad’s stellar defensive play.—
Gary Bedore,
Kansas City Star,
29 Oct. 2025
-
Jones eventually got into his joking bag, and Bleek took that opportunity to seriously set the record straight one last time.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Instead, Chenoweth finds the humanity inside the caricature, capturing the contradictions that made Jackie a pop-culture fascination — her drive for success, her humor, and yes, even her delusion to keep believing in a fantasy when the walls around her are literally crumbling.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Nathan and everyone else here is ideally supportive; the sole negativity comes from the parents, who come off as rather one-dimensional caricatures of glint-eyed intolerance in their few scenes.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
For English language arts, which includes reading, writing, speaking and listening, the district came one percentage point shy of the state average, with 49% of students meeting their individualized growth targets.—
Dmitry Martirosov,
Arkansas Online,
12 Nov. 2025
-
DeVonta Smith is the top target for Hurts with 44 receptions for 588 yards and two scores, while tight end Dallas Goedert has seven TD catches.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Rates for the winter journey to the North Pole start at approximately $42 for adults (and kids ages 12 and over) and just over $31 for children ages two to 11.—
Evie Carrick,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Just kidding - but honestly not sold on him being the best player on a championship caliber team.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
30 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joke. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share