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
Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 25 Feb. 2026
But his joke during the phone call about also having to invite the women and the subsequent laughter from the men, which was captured on video and circulated widely on social media, set off a firestorm of criticism, with many expressing frustration that the joke diminished the women's achievement.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 25 Feb. 2026
Dallas Morning News, 22 Feb. 2026
Bamigboye joked that the takeover saga could one day make a movie.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 22 Feb. 2026
Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
All three, dressed in formalwear for a photo shoot but with a joking, easy manner together, seem at home — this journalist, less so.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025
Adisa Hargett-Robinson, The Washington Examiner, 15 Feb. 2026
The night had begun with Evangelos Marinakis laughing and joking on the touchline with injured defender Murillo.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for joke
Noun
In those movies the people become jokes — in a Robert Carradine comedy, the jokes become people.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 25 Feb. 2026
But his joke during the phone call about also having to invite the women and the subsequent laughter from the men, which was captured on video and circulated widely on social media, set off a firestorm of criticism, with many expressing frustration that the joke diminished the women's achievement.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 25 Feb. 2026
Verb
Aside from the 43rd president’s penchant for surfacing mostly for official events — joking in an affectionate and hilarious manner with Michelle Obama — Bush’s taciturn post-presidency cuts a striking contrast with the two men who bracketed his tenure.
—Dallas Morning News, 22 Feb. 2026
Bamigboye joked that the takeover saga could one day make a movie.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 22 Feb. 2026
Noun
But this outline is far more serious than White’s joking and explicit memoir, in which pleasure is always the goal.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
All three, dressed in formalwear for a photo shoot but with a joking, easy manner together, seem at home — this journalist, less so.
—Daniel D'addario, Variety, 12 Nov. 2025
Verb
Obama dismissed those rumors, joking that if aliens existed and were being concealed, even the president was not in on it.
—Adisa Hargett-Robinson, The Washington Examiner, 15 Feb. 2026
The night had begun with Evangelos Marinakis laughing and joking on the touchline with injured defender Murillo.
—Paul Taylor, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for joke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joke
Adjective
-
Moving between longing, sarcastic humor and anger, Penelope is a life-affirming feminist romance that makes an ancient legend, first told thousands of years ago, still relevant today.—
Manuel Mendoza,
Dallas Morning News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
As Torquay’s women’s team were beating Gloucester on Sunday, commenters left sarcastic replies under the club’s social media updates.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
23 Feb. 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
-
When the film won, many in the media room at BAFTA turned to each other with a quizzical look.—
Andreas Wiseman,
Deadline,
22 Feb. 2026
-
With quizzical eyes upon it, Players Era announced that its checks ultimately cleared a couple weeks later, with most of the money routed through schools’ dedicated NIL collectives.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joke. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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