1
as in laughs
something said or done to cause laughter
he was known for his hilarious jokes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in parodies
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 fools
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 kids
to make jokes
he was known for his ability to joke about his lack of anything resembling a social life
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of jokes
Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 16 June 2026
The camaraderie is there; the jokes are there.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 16 June 2026
Those efforts went beyond dubbing audio in different languages to include adapting jokes and other details in the script.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 15 June 2026
Even comedian Shane Gillis, who's been in hot water for his own distasteful jokes, wasn't a fan of Hokit's words.
—Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 15 June 2026
The event was hosted by Shane Gillis and featured divisive manosphere comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who made jokes about lynching and slavery, respectively.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 13 June 2026
Often the jokes are tied to an upcoming holiday or event.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
The jokes can be funny, yet in the light of day, the realities are anything but.
—Steven Andreasen, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
People left theaters repeating lines, sharing jokes, and reliving scenes with their fam.
—Datwon Thomas, VIBE.com, 6 June 2026
Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026
Brittany Bell jokes that doctorate dissertation is 'coincidental' Bell, who also has a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University and a master's degree from Pepperdine University, spoke about her doctoral dissertation in the February 2025 interview.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Diego Calva jokes that his mother, Lorena, almost had a heart attack when Brad Pitt called her by her name at the 2023 Golden Globes.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Youssef jokes about a previous time Fox News invoked his name to get a rise out of its audience.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 8 May 2026
Lindsay jokes that Kyle lost his wedding ring but found a DJ career, which lights the long fuse that ignites the whole evening.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 6 May 2026
As an elder, Mellencamp often jokes about how many tours he was fired from in his salad days, usually because the headlining acts (KISS, REO Speedwagon, British hard rock act Rainbow) and their audiences didn’t take to his kiss-off attitude and misfit energy.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
In fact, Colbert often jokes about it on air.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 28 Apr. 2026
Later, co-star Regina Hall jokes about the John Wick spinoff film Ballerina and the fact that no one saw it.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Noun
The day shift also starts making factory-work jokes, with Rekha playing a perky do-bee who just wants to make the boss happy, and Lily adopting an agitator role, demanding workman’s comp and trying to spark revolt.
—Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 16 June 2026
The camaraderie is there; the jokes are there.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 16 June 2026
Those efforts went beyond dubbing audio in different languages to include adapting jokes and other details in the script.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 15 June 2026
Even comedian Shane Gillis, who's been in hot water for his own distasteful jokes, wasn't a fan of Hokit's words.
—Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 15 June 2026
The event was hosted by Shane Gillis and featured divisive manosphere comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who made jokes about lynching and slavery, respectively.
—Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 13 June 2026
Often the jokes are tied to an upcoming holiday or event.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
The jokes can be funny, yet in the light of day, the realities are anything but.
—Steven Andreasen, Twin Cities, 7 June 2026
People left theaters repeating lines, sharing jokes, and reliving scenes with their fam.
—Datwon Thomas, VIBE.com, 6 June 2026
Verb
In It Was an Accident, Walter jokes about her dating life, her kids and the current political climate all while incorporating the crowd in her standup.
—Yamillah Hurtado, PEOPLE, 12 June 2026
Brittany Bell jokes that doctorate dissertation is 'coincidental' Bell, who also has a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University and a master's degree from Pepperdine University, spoke about her doctoral dissertation in the February 2025 interview.
—Melina Khan, USA Today, 9 June 2026
Diego Calva jokes that his mother, Lorena, almost had a heart attack when Brad Pitt called her by her name at the 2023 Golden Globes.
—Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026
Youssef jokes about a previous time Fox News invoked his name to get a rise out of its audience.
—Michael Schneider, Variety, 8 May 2026
Lindsay jokes that Kyle lost his wedding ring but found a DJ career, which lights the long fuse that ignites the whole evening.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 6 May 2026
As an elder, Mellencamp often jokes about how many tours he was fired from in his salad days, usually because the headlining acts (KISS, REO Speedwagon, British hard rock act Rainbow) and their audiences didn’t take to his kiss-off attitude and misfit energy.
—Literary Hub, 29 Apr. 2026
In fact, Colbert often jokes about it on air.
—Tom Tapp, Deadline, 28 Apr. 2026
Later, co-star Regina Hall jokes about the John Wick spinoff film Ballerina and the fact that no one saw it.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jokes
Noun
-
Both O’Flynn and Rhys have had spotlight episodes so far this season, but will Emmys voters see the pathos and creativity behind the laughs and frights?—
William Earl,
Variety,
11 June 2026
-
One man is menacing, the other faintly absurd, but Rhys embraces the challenges of each role with aplomb — in particular, his physical comedy in the latter has gotten several big laughs out of me.—
Matt Brennan
Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
The sequel reboot brings original franchise stars Marlon, Shawn, Anna Faris and Regina Hall back to the world of horror movie parodies.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
-
Its various iterations have managed to hold viewers' attention in the years since (the 2009 sibling version inspired a slew of parodies and fan fiction).—
Rachel Treisman,
NPR,
20 May 2026
Noun
-
This game makes fools of us all.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
-
The American media look here like fools, as does the conspiratorial mirror image imagining a vast secret US operation.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
Hopefully kids’ transparent borrowing histories won’t be much use to the GOP and their homophobes and transphobes, but granting them even a grasping, theoretical win feels bad.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
14 Aug. 2025
-
There’s also never really a good explanation for why the population of campers has dwindled, beyond Charlie Brown telling Sally that kids her age just want to watch TV instead of heading outdoors for fun.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The trailer confirms the return of James Marsden, who played the deceased President of the United States Cal Bradford, introduces the new character played by newcomer Shailene Woodley and teases the return of the deceased Billy who was played by Jon Beavers.—
Jackie Strause,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Dec. 2025
-
The team teases a fight sequence involving the Ash People and the Wind Traders.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
But the actors are reduced to joke machines trapped in a nonsensical nonplot, and while some of those gags yield laughs, a far greater number fall flat.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
4 June 2026
-
The reveal runs from players 1 through 26, leaning heavily on props and visual gags to name the squad.—
Don Riddell,
CNN Money,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Oftentimes Black artists are seen as caricatures or one-dimensional.—
Stuart Miller,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
-
Can storytelling help move audiences beyond caricatures, outrage, and contempt?—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
Companies owned by Elon Musk are under review for consideration as potential military targets by Iran, semiofficial Fars news agency has reported.—
Sarah Dean,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
-
Upside targets based on a breakout from this formation give us targets over the next six to nine months of $250 to $260.—
Jay Woods,
CNBC,
11 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Jokes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jokes. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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