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
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
as in jesting
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of joking
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
No one broke the fourth wall to acknowledge that this was anything other than a deeply theatrical experience — except for Josh Gad’s Herod, with some improvised joking in his one number.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Aug. 2025
Latoya Gayle, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Longfellow’s departure is somewhat of a surprise given that he was seemingly being primed to take over the Weekend Update desk at some point after some successful stints behind the desk, joking about topics such as TikTok and Real ID.
—Peter White, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
Some have voiced frustration over the rapid-fire variants, joking that their wallets can’t keep up.
—Bryan West, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
Sure, Ghost has his creative license to put that in a skit without anyone attributing it directly to him, but the skit was funny without joking about spousal abuse.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2025
Over 17,000 users commented on the footage, with many joking the parents should perhaps consider their choice of words next time.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Make space for silliness—allow moments of play in everyday life, such as singing in the car, dancing while making coffee or joking with colleagues.
—Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
After Minnesota’s 1-0 win over Seattle, Oluwaseyi was hanging out in a jovial Loons’ dressing room, joking with teammates — far from saying somber goodbyes to friends.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 18 Aug. 2025
The podcast then played into the excitement one more time Wednesday morning, releasing a video of Jason Kelce cutting a promo for Swift's podcast appearance, and Swift joking about male football fans wanting (or not wanting) to see more of her on their screens.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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
No one broke the fourth wall to acknowledge that this was anything other than a deeply theatrical experience — except for Josh Gad’s Herod, with some improvised joking in his one number.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 4 Aug. 2025
Noun
Over 150,000 Facebook users liked Southwest Airlines’ post and many took to the comment section joking that Captain John was setting a high standard for his son-in-law, Quinn.
—Latoya Gayle, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Longfellow’s departure is somewhat of a surprise given that he was seemingly being primed to take over the Weekend Update desk at some point after some successful stints behind the desk, joking about topics such as TikTok and Real ID.
—Peter White, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2025
Some have voiced frustration over the rapid-fire variants, joking that their wallets can’t keep up.
—Bryan West, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2025
Sure, Ghost has his creative license to put that in a skit without anyone attributing it directly to him, but the skit was funny without joking about spousal abuse.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 26 Aug. 2025
Over 17,000 users commented on the footage, with many joking the parents should perhaps consider their choice of words next time.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Aug. 2025
Make space for silliness—allow moments of play in everyday life, such as singing in the car, dancing while making coffee or joking with colleagues.
—Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
After Minnesota’s 1-0 win over Seattle, Oluwaseyi was hanging out in a jovial Loons’ dressing room, joking with teammates — far from saying somber goodbyes to friends.
—Andy Greder, Twin Cities, 18 Aug. 2025
The podcast then played into the excitement one more time Wednesday morning, releasing a video of Jason Kelce cutting a promo for Swift's podcast appearance, and Swift joking about male football fans wanting (or not wanting) to see more of her on their screens.
—Kaycee Sloan, Cincinnati Enquirer, 13 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joking
Verb
-
Pat Kelsey wasn't kidding about wanting the smoke.—
Leo Bertucci,
The Courier-Journal,
2 Sep. 2025
-
In 2019, Lebanese depositors discovered that their banking system had, in effect, just been kidding about those savings accounts.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Gunn has been teasing this new feature for weeks, saying that his next project won’t be a direct sequel to Superman, but will feature characters audiences already know from his summer hit.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The radio host was set to return to his SiriusXM show this morning, after nearly a month of teasing a big reveal surrounding rumors that his show would be canceled.—
Jodi Guglielmi,
Rolling Stone,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Even an otherwise neutral comment can be contorted into a sarcastic retort, an insult or a counterattack.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
On the par-4 14th, Scheffler splashed out of a greenside bunker to 10 feet, missed the par putt, and then, without hesitation, threw a sarcastic fist pump toward the hole.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
This smacks of fake tough guy nonsense.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
6 Sep. 2025
-
And then a lot of nonsense, which comes with the script.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Louie is summoned to the apartment of Joe Black, a higher-up gangster played by John Malkovich with a manner so quizzical yet threatening that his voice just about quivers with unexpressed rage.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Cue a quizzical look from Sting.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
8 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Joking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joking. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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