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
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 jokes
Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 2026
Commenters respond to the post As always, commenters were quick to jump on the opportunity to make jokes – in this case, about Kennedy's storied past with animals, especially of the wild persuasion.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 4 May 2026
Fox execs, worried that cannibalism jokes would quickly become stale (and possibly made in poor taste), asked Bouchard to reconsider.
—Jason Maxey, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2026
The folksy wisdom and jokes that were a staple of the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting for decades when Warren Buffett was leading the show will be missing Saturday, but shareholders still started lining up at midnight outside a Nebraska arena to listen to new CEO Greg Abel.
—ABC News, 2 May 2026
Why are elevator jokes so good?
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 2 May 2026
From feeding chickens at a Harlem farm to cracking jokes about the Boston Tea Party during the White House state dinner, the monarch, alongside his wife Queen Camilla, delivered a steady stream of viral moments that showed a lighter, more personal side of the royals.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
Kimmel wants to tell nice jokes for the nice people, not lead la révolution.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 1 May 2026
Kimmel delivered the jokes about the first lady at a special version of his show that included his version of a fake monologue for the WHCD.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026
Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 16 Apr. 2026
The comedian jokes to laughter and applause before asking if anyone in the room is a lawyer.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
Bridges jokes that her staff are more nervous about a drop-by visit from her than from state inspectors.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
And that is how the government of Lebanon jokes about us.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
When Bad Bunny began the halftime show by carrying a football around his detailed Levi’s Stadium set, jokes that the artist had accumulated more yards than the Patriots flooded social media.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
One member of staff jokes that upon seeing Ho, there is a sudden impulse to salute, not out of fear, but out of sheer pride in the project.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
In it, DiCaprio expressively jokes with an unseen person.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 14 Jan. 2026
Palka jokes more than once that I could be baptized at their next ceremony.
—Tara Palmeri, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
Noun
Martin gets some jokes about it, more from older generations than teammates or opponents.
—Steve Millar, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 2026
Commenters respond to the post As always, commenters were quick to jump on the opportunity to make jokes – in this case, about Kennedy's storied past with animals, especially of the wild persuasion.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 4 May 2026
Fox execs, worried that cannibalism jokes would quickly become stale (and possibly made in poor taste), asked Bouchard to reconsider.
—Jason Maxey, Rolling Stone, 2 May 2026
The folksy wisdom and jokes that were a staple of the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting for decades when Warren Buffett was leading the show will be missing Saturday, but shareholders still started lining up at midnight outside a Nebraska arena to listen to new CEO Greg Abel.
—ABC News, 2 May 2026
Why are elevator jokes so good?
—Hallie Milstein, Southern Living, 2 May 2026
From feeding chickens at a Harlem farm to cracking jokes about the Boston Tea Party during the White House state dinner, the monarch, alongside his wife Queen Camilla, delivered a steady stream of viral moments that showed a lighter, more personal side of the royals.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
Kimmel wants to tell nice jokes for the nice people, not lead la révolution.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 1 May 2026
Kimmel delivered the jokes about the first lady at a special version of his show that included his version of a fake monologue for the WHCD.
—Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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
The comedian jokes to laughter and applause before asking if anyone in the room is a lawyer.
—Michelle Del Rey, USA Today, 26 Mar. 2026
Bridges jokes that her staff are more nervous about a drop-by visit from her than from state inspectors.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 22 Mar. 2026
And that is how the government of Lebanon jokes about us.
—Benjamin Weinthal, FOXNews.com, 12 Mar. 2026
When Bad Bunny began the halftime show by carrying a football around his detailed Levi’s Stadium set, jokes that the artist had accumulated more yards than the Patriots flooded social media.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 9 Feb. 2026
One member of staff jokes that upon seeing Ho, there is a sudden impulse to salute, not out of fear, but out of sheer pride in the project.
—Megan Feringa, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
In it, DiCaprio expressively jokes with an unseen person.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 14 Jan. 2026
Palka jokes more than once that I could be baptized at their next ceremony.
—Tara Palmeri, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jokes
Noun
-
But Jim Parsons and Layton Williams all but run away with the evening, finding diabolical laughs as Rose’s helicopter mom and a Tina Turner-esque iceberg.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
3 May 2026
-
Boston Tea Party joke The monarch also drew laughs with tongue-in-cheek references to American history.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Broadway, top-heavy with musical parodies and attention-grabbing revivals, is having a strange season by all accounts.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
-
While the show featured many of the same characters, its format strayed from the sci-fi space narrative of Spaceballs and instead was a series of parodies, each episode serving as a satirical commentary on several contemporary hits, such as Lord of the Rings, American Idol and Harry Potter.—
Maddie Garfinkle,
PEOPLE,
16 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
As Rose’s impoverished yet imperious mother Ruth, Parson’s dry deliveries offer great comic ballast to this ship of fools.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
13 Apr. 2026
-
McGinn sets high standards in training and during games and does not suffer fools.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Both kids cheer and bite into their burgers.—
Fortesa Latifi,
Rolling Stone,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Based on the bestseller from author Colleen Hoover, Johnson stars in the film adaptation that teases lingering secrets and a dark sinister mystery awaiting to be solved.—
Lexy Perez,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The video not only teases the studio’s upcoming films and highlights the talent who have signed deals, but also reflects on the Paramount lot’s 100th anniversary.—
Rebecca Ford,
Vanity Fair,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His incredulity about their increasingly risky adventures—this is the one that involves a Pontiac Fiero in outer space—becomes one of the film’s running gags.—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
29 Apr. 2026
-
There are hyper-local gags about the Williamsburg bar Union Pool and the undesirability of living in the Financial District, and a creature known as Rat Pizza — like Pizza Rat in reverse.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The other women in the friends’ lives — primarily their mothers — don’t fare much better and are reduced to near-caricatures.—
Frank Rizzo,
Variety,
23 Apr. 2026
-
And in mainstream television, Latinos are very often caricatures.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
15 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The sites mix factual assertions about their targets with unsubstantiated conspiracies and defamatory claims of misconduct ranging from extortion and embezzlement to drug dealing and prostitution.—
Gary Baum,
HollywoodReporter,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Moscow has also accused NATO nations of allowing their airspace to be used by Ukrainian drones attacking Russian targets -- allegations NATO leaders have denied.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Jokes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jokes. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
