as in kidding
marked by or expressive of mild or good-natured teasing
grinned and gave him a joking nudge with my elbow
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in jesting
Related Words
1
as in funning
to make jokes
he was known for his ability to joke about his lack of anything resembling a social life
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in teasing
to make fun of in a good-natured way
oh, don't get offended, I was just joking you
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of joking
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
And their joking comments about their relationship never help the matter.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 15 Oct. 2025
Our days starting with coffee in the makeup trailer, laughing and joking, right through to the very last day of filming.
—Giana Levy, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
Only an Aries, like Lily, can take Barney’s jabs in a joking way.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
When Peanut pulled his second escape act, his owners knew where to look and handled Peanut's disappearance in a joking manner.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Multiple outlets that examined the reporting identified the claim as unverified and labeled the story a hoax; Colbert had previously made a joking on-air reference to streaming platforms but had not announced any deal with Netflix.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
But while the ads are laugh-out-loud funny, the product is anything but a joking matter.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 25 Aug. 2025
Essence, 4 Nov. 2025
Others welcomed the move, while some suggested that Abbott was joking.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Unlike following the loss in Philadelphia, the third-year swingman was in the Hornets’ locker room postgame in Washington and seemed to be in good spirits, joking with his teammates — including LaMelo Ball, who posted his first triple-double in nearly two years.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 27 Oct. 2025
The victim told police that Ising had constantly harassed him at work for two years, sitting next to him during meals and joking about his inability to eat many foods because of his medical condition.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2025
Mackey reached out to Warren Buffett, who declined, joking about the poor brand fit between his Dairy Queen ownership and his junk food preferences.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025
Altman wasn't joking about the price of politeness.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Plenty of us even tempted fate by joking about it.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
While joking with Meyers, Swift revealed her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, made a massive mix-up at one of her Eras Tour shows.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 10 Oct. 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
And their joking comments about their relationship never help the matter.
—Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 15 Oct. 2025
Our days starting with coffee in the makeup trailer, laughing and joking, right through to the very last day of filming.
—Giana Levy, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
Only an Aries, like Lily, can take Barney’s jabs in a joking way.
—Lisa Stardust, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
When Peanut pulled his second escape act, his owners knew where to look and handled Peanut's disappearance in a joking manner.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Multiple outlets that examined the reporting identified the claim as unverified and labeled the story a hoax; Colbert had previously made a joking on-air reference to streaming platforms but had not announced any deal with Netflix.
—Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Sep. 2025
But while the ads are laugh-out-loud funny, the product is anything but a joking matter.
—Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 25 Aug. 2025
Verb
Or, joking around with cruise staff, fans as well as his fellow industry mates.
—Essence, 4 Nov. 2025
Others welcomed the move, while some suggested that Abbott was joking.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Unlike following the loss in Philadelphia, the third-year swingman was in the Hornets’ locker room postgame in Washington and seemed to be in good spirits, joking with his teammates — including LaMelo Ball, who posted his first triple-double in nearly two years.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 27 Oct. 2025
The victim told police that Ising had constantly harassed him at work for two years, sitting next to him during meals and joking about his inability to eat many foods because of his medical condition.
—Judy L. Thomas, Kansas City Star, 24 Oct. 2025
Mackey reached out to Warren Buffett, who declined, joking about the poor brand fit between his Dairy Queen ownership and his junk food preferences.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2025
Altman wasn't joking about the price of politeness.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 21 Oct. 2025
Plenty of us even tempted fate by joking about it.
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
While joking with Meyers, Swift revealed her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, made a massive mix-up at one of her Eras Tour shows.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joking
Verb
-
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
-
The Aggies coach wasn’t kidding.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The former Nickelodeon sitcom stars posted a new video on Instagram Wednesday, teasing what appeared to be a casual interaction as Peck sipped on a large drink in a plastic container.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Nov. 2025
-
The Japan Mobility Show is in full swing in Tokyo, and some of the largest automotive brands in the world are debuting and teasing vehicle concepts that could shape their future portfolios.—
Charles Singh,
USA Today,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
The Marriage Story star first appeared as a child in an uncredited role in the Scorsese film — Ladd's first taste of major acclaim as the sarcastic waitress Flo.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The kicking game was so bad that Freeman sounded like Brian Kelly at his sarcastic best when asked about Noah Burnette, Erik Schmidt and Marcello Diomede combining to miss two extra points and one field goal.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Crucially, the eggs were fittingly fluffy, none of that rubbery nonsense that plague lesser burrito slingers.—
Brock Keeling,
Oc Register,
6 Nov. 2025
-
All’s Fair is girlboss nonsense.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country!—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Aikman appeared to be a bit quizzical.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
29 Oct. 2025
-
In a YouTube video, the robot’s head glances around with a quizzical expression and blinks in a way that is eerily lifelike.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Joking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joking. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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