JOKES Synonyms: 115 Similar and Opposite Words

jokes 1 of 2

noun

plural of joke

as in laughs

something said or done to cause laughter he was known for his hilarious jokes

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as in parodies

a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something her rendition of the national anthem is a joke

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

jokes

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of joke

as in kids

to make jokes he was known for his ability to joke about his lack of anything resembling a social life

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as in teases

to make fun of in a good-natured way oh, don't get offended, I was just joking you

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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

Noun

First, of course, there’s the business impact — the loss of authorship, credit, and revenue from accounts farming their jokes for clicks and a quick buck. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2026 Before there is comedy or jokes, the audience must care about the characters. — ABC News, 16 Oct. 2026 Like the best jokes, there’s a lot of truth in this amazing segment. — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2026 Those who love the club could only watch as its past successes were belittled and its fans became the butt of jokes – or, as one supporter told me, shouted at in a grocery store for wearing the club colors. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026 Glasper is known for carrying a lighthearted tone to his performances, and this night was full of jokes and stories. — William E. Ketchum Iii, VIBE.com, 14 Oct. 2026 Her comments come after Gillis’ monologue also drew the ire of Dan Levy, who posted a scathing reaction to Gillis’ jokes on Sunday night. — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026 During his seven-minute monologue, which consisted mainly of self-deprecating jokes about his appearance and weight, Gillis had a bit about going to the gym. — Maya Salam, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2026 This set off a series of jokes between Meriwether and the cast, along with confirmation that there are no real plans for a reunion at this time. — Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2026

Verb

The Facebook post quickly took off on social media and had 1,700 comments and reactions within three hours, most of them jokes. — Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 1 Oct. 2026 Diners who sit in those four seats are like guinea pigs, Justus jokes. — Kansas City Star, 30 Sep. 2026 The pregnant mom of three says that her doctors have no concerns, and jokes that her dermatologist is happy. — Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 22 Sep. 2026 Jepsen jokes that so many of the songs on Day and Night have lyrics about sleeping all day. — Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026 Janier jokes that he was born in a cheese vat and that milk runs through his veins. — Vivian Song, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2026 Johnson jokes, miming a phone to her ear as Cherkovskiy puts his head in hands. — Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 5 Sep. 2026 When the dog doesn’t return, someone jokes that maybe it’s gone to see the new Rin Tin Tin movie. — Cynthia Zarin, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026 Chris Cooper, a political scientist at Western Carolina University (of no relation to the candidate), sometimes jokes that Roy Cooper is like Mister Rogers, if Mister Rogers carried a switchblade. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for jokes

Noun

But acknowledging a property’s cheesy elements isn’t the same as generating consistent laughs from the situation.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Among the biggest laughs of the ceremony came during Friml’s take on an awards-show in memoriam.

— Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of laughs

Noun

The five stars teased the project with parodies of their characters in a promo video.

— Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 13 Oct. 2026
The name of the collection parodies the seriousness of the museum, even as the collection itself is the kind of thing that has traditionally gotten scant attention within actual institutions.

— Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of parodies

Noun

In these labors, Carson is akin to two other recent laureates, Jon Fosse and László Krasznahorkai, our foremost writers of holy fools.

— Merve Emre, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
The Trasks encounter a wide swath of citizens, haggling with sneaky cheats, exploiting innocent fools, and befriending big-hearted neighbors.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of fools

Verb

Inez, our colleague, teases me with all of the wonderful descriptions of the Wisconsin State Fair.

— Emily Elias, Bon Appetit Magazine, 19 Oct. 2026
This establishment of this family-friendly version of Castle Rock led to Pumpkinhead 2’s final scene, which teases the arrival of a menacing, giggly presence from Afraid of Clowns.

— Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 18 Oct. 2026

Definition of teases

Noun

On the occasion of this momentous anniversary, four Washington Post staffers gathered to discuss the abiding cultural significance — and iconic gags — of one of the greatest television comedies ever.

— Maura Judkis, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2026
Cox admits that leaning into horror gags proved to be a challenge, given the franchise’s family-friendly nature.

— Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 18 Sep. 2026

Definition of gags

Noun

As is the case with most election cycles, the claims and counterclaims about the ballot measures being voted on in California this time around are largely based on caricatures of the measures themselves.

— Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
But Iñárritu’s caricatures become people in a way Kubrick’s don’t; as the bewildered President, for example, John Goodman is simultaneously grounded and theatrical in his presentation, recalling his best work with the Coen brothers.

— Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of caricatures

Noun

Filling a government gap The new pledge comes as governments fall far behind their own nature-funding targets.

— Sydney Lake, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
Radar systems detect incoming threats and supply information that helps defensive missiles engage their targets.

— Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of targets

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jokers

jokes

jokester

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Style

“Jokes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jokes. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of jokes

noun

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