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
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 joking
Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Despite that underlying tension, kids play on the street outside while the large family has a dynamic like any other — noisily squabbling, joking, or in the case of the matriarchal grandmother, Mariam (Hiam Abbass), preparing a meal in a kitchen plagued by constant utility outages.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
The president has long bristled at the otherwise customary joking at his expense by celebrity comedians.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 28 Apr. 2026
Here opposites — classy and brassy — are distractions, with odd-couple joking substituting for something more substantial.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
There was none of the usual laughing and joking.
—Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Lindsay says that Jesse was serious about asking, but that the make-out would be a joking make-out.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2026
The women’s team declined their joking invitation and had to explain comments directed at them.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2026
The tiny macaque, born on July 26, is often spotted clutching a plush toy from IKEA and has melted hearts across the internet, inspiring a wave of comments from fans half-joking about booking flights to Japan to check on him.
—Joshua Mellin, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2026
Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 29 May 2026
On the King's coronation day in May 2023, videos of Thompson helping the King with his ceremonial robes went viral, with commenters joking that the handsome soldier should be crowned as well.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
After a while, my joking friend picked up on the other friend’s energy and apologized.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 18 May 2026
The two have grown close as a regular double-play duo, constantly joking and laughing together in the clubhouse and on the field.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 16 May 2026
The DaniMation Entertainment founder also responded to Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson using the word twice while joking about NBA’s Draymond Green during Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 15 May 2026
Clark's comment prompted joking responses on social media.
—Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
Fox News host Jesse Watters was escorted away from King Charles III and Queen Camilla after joking with the Queen about gun violence at the state dinner welcoming the royal couple.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
For myself and many of my classmates, the four-story Forever 21 in Times Square was the most exciting part of our senior-class trip to New York City—not joking!
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2025
Noun
Sometimes a playful comment, an unexpected reply or a joking callout between brands takes on a life of its own online.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Despite that underlying tension, kids play on the street outside while the large family has a dynamic like any other — noisily squabbling, joking, or in the case of the matriarchal grandmother, Mariam (Hiam Abbass), preparing a meal in a kitchen plagued by constant utility outages.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
The president has long bristled at the otherwise customary joking at his expense by celebrity comedians.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 28 Apr. 2026
Here opposites — classy and brassy — are distractions, with odd-couple joking substituting for something more substantial.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
There was none of the usual laughing and joking.
—Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Lindsay says that Jesse was serious about asking, but that the make-out would be a joking make-out.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2026
The women’s team declined their joking invitation and had to explain comments directed at them.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2026
The tiny macaque, born on July 26, is often spotted clutching a plush toy from IKEA and has melted hearts across the internet, inspiring a wave of comments from fans half-joking about booking flights to Japan to check on him.
—Joshua Mellin, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2026
Verb
Liu is sworn to secrecy about the latter fantasy epic, joking that a publicist will blow dart us from across the room for saying too much.
—Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 29 May 2026
On the King's coronation day in May 2023, videos of Thompson helping the King with his ceremonial robes went viral, with commenters joking that the handsome soldier should be crowned as well.
—Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026
After a while, my joking friend picked up on the other friend’s energy and apologized.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 18 May 2026
The two have grown close as a regular double-play duo, constantly joking and laughing together in the clubhouse and on the field.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 16 May 2026
The DaniMation Entertainment founder also responded to Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson using the word twice while joking about NBA’s Draymond Green during Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 15 May 2026
Clark's comment prompted joking responses on social media.
—Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
Fox News host Jesse Watters was escorted away from King Charles III and Queen Camilla after joking with the Queen about gun violence at the state dinner welcoming the royal couple.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
For myself and many of my classmates, the four-story Forever 21 in Times Square was the most exciting part of our senior-class trip to New York City—not joking!
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 18 Mar. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joking
Noun
-
Hudson showed some subtle support for the jesting knocks to her boyfriend by reposting a clip of his final joke shared on Fox News' official X page.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
-
No matter what happened, Dunham could not seem to help posting through it, her public persona one of infinite jesting confession.—
Madeline Leung Coleman,
Vulture,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Zucker watched the video and thought Harper — more known for his brush with greatness as a two-time NL MVP — was kidding.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 May 2026
-
Gilpin isn’t kidding about the haunting.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Off Campus is playing the long game by also teasing the fourth installment in Kennedy’s series, The Goal.—
Kenneal Patterson,
Vanity Fair,
29 May 2026
-
Netflix’s The Boroughs ends with a twist, teasing the future of the series and hinting at the true origin of Mother.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
Shah’s closest ally (and the person most willing to call Shah on his lies to himself and others) is his cousin Zulfi, a gigantic character who Khan energizes with fast-talking charm, sarcastic asides, and an assessing glare that can cut through anyone’s defenses.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
-
Yet another compared the look to Van Gogh, while others were more than ready to take Bieber up on her presumably sarcastic offer to accept appointments.—
Marci Robin,
Allure,
25 May 2026
Noun
-
That’s the prayerful explanation for the nonsense that spouted this week from the leaders of a football conference that hopes to grow up and be the Big Ten someday.—
Joe Rexrode,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
Let’s see if the Pomona Unified School District, which pays thousands of dollars to support its schools’ athletic program, is going to act and stop this nonsense.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
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
-
By widening the lens, Clark is able to redirect the book’s gaze from the mother toward a quizzical, sometimes critical, but not unaffectionate portrait of two generations of political activism, with the attendant self-involvement and domestic negligence.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Carpenter responded with a quizzical frown.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Joking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joking. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
