1
as in laugh
something said or done to cause laughter
he was known for his hilarious jokes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in parody
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 fool
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 to fun
to make jokes
he was known for his ability to joke about his lack of anything resembling a social life
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
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 joke
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
There’s no jealousy masked as jokes or trying to dim your light.
—Essence, 28 Jan. 2026
Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2026
The 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne joked about the situation himself after the game against the Eagles.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
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
Angela Haupt, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone exchanged texts on the morning the Screen Actors Guild nominations were announced this week, joking about the outcome after Stone landed a nod and Lawrence did not.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for joke
Noun
An hour in McIntyre’s company is a warm, convivial whirlwind of enthusiasm, jokes and anecdotes.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 28 Jan. 2026
There’s no jealousy masked as jokes or trying to dim your light.
—Essence, 28 Jan. 2026
Verb
After deleting the comment, Drozd joked about the gaffe of speaking publicly.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2026
The 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne joked about the situation himself after the game against the Eagles.
—Kaitlyn Tiffany, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
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
Verb
Turn around and make a lighthearted comment to the person behind you, maybe joking about the wait time, Simon-Thomas suggests.
—Angela Haupt, Time, 9 Jan. 2026
Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone exchanged texts on the morning the Screen Actors Guild nominations were announced this week, joking about the outcome after Stone landed a nod and Lawrence did not.
—Anna Tingley, Variety, 8 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for joke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joke
Adjective
-
Tom Lester played Eb Dawson, the Douglases' sarcastic young farmhand.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
25 Jan. 2026
-
The worse things are going, the more bitter and sarcastic my humor sometimes gets.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 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
-
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
“Joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joke. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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