as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
a close-knit family constantly exchanging lighthearted joshes at the dinner table
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as in to joke
to make jokes
a very outgoing man who joshes with everyone he meets
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Recent Examples of josh
Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
Alas, even former presidents of the United States can’t just josh about such things.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
This worthy, if dry, news offered a pretext for the afternoon’s real show: watching as the Mayor joshed amiably with his other guests, four pre-K students from District Two.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2026
Cranston and Essiedu convey a father-son bond of unusual closeness — hugging, play-fighting, joshing; but this physical proximity will be repeated at the end of the play to devastatingly different effect.
—Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 22 Nov. 2025
Cheryl — who jumped in the mosh pit briefly at the first party — hung out in the back, sitting on her walker and gently joshing Erika’s young son for wearing earplugs while a singer screamed into the microphone.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 13 Nov. 2025
Anatole is a painter, an artform which photographer Lucien good-naturedly joshes him will soon be obsolete.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 27 May 2025
See which companies are just joshing on social media — and which one has a real deal for you!
—Brendan Le, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
Hudson’s accordion seems to come strolling in from a sidewalk serenade to meet Helm’s amused, exasperated vocal, joshing him along with countermelodies, trills and wheezily encouraging chords.
—Jon Pareles, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Noun
In a weird form of Shakespearean locker-room talk, the two josh each other about women; H is involved with Mina, while the Rude Boy renews his flirtation with Ophelia.
—Emily McClanathan, Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2026
Verb
His new show centers on three thick-necked, sweet-doofus sons of a buff weatherman dad, joshing around, learning valuable life lessons, and leaning on one another after the death of their mother.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
Alas, even former presidents of the United States can’t just josh about such things.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
This worthy, if dry, news offered a pretext for the afternoon’s real show: watching as the Mayor joshed amiably with his other guests, four pre-K students from District Two.
—Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2026
Cranston and Essiedu convey a father-son bond of unusual closeness — hugging, play-fighting, joshing; but this physical proximity will be repeated at the end of the play to devastatingly different effect.
—Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 22 Nov. 2025
Cheryl — who jumped in the mosh pit briefly at the first party — hung out in the back, sitting on her walker and gently joshing Erika’s young son for wearing earplugs while a singer screamed into the microphone.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 13 Nov. 2025
Anatole is a painter, an artform which photographer Lucien good-naturedly joshes him will soon be obsolete.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 27 May 2025
See which companies are just joshing on social media — and which one has a real deal for you!
—Brendan Le, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
Hudson’s accordion seems to come strolling in from a sidewalk serenade to meet Helm’s amused, exasperated vocal, joshing him along with countermelodies, trills and wheezily encouraging chords.
—Jon Pareles, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for josh
Noun
-
Just ask Harris, whose handling of the border under Biden became a running joke in politics.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
14 May 2026
-
Now, if there’s some people telling these jokes at a church service, that would be one thing.—
Théoden Janes,
Charlotte Observer,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
And, don’t kid yourself, the Thunder aren’t going anywhere for a long, long time.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 May 2026
-
Gosling, of course, was kidding.—
Jake Coyle,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
But when the Phillies remember the good times — the champagne toasts, the boisterous October clubhouses, the laughs shared on the field in the clubhouse — Suarez will always be there.—
Charlotte Varnes,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
Hammond spent a year at the Comedy Cellar trying to crack Al Gore and never got a laugh.—
Seth Abramovitch,
HollywoodReporter,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
With The Boys teasing a return for Aya Cash‘s Stormfront in the upcoming prequel series, Eric Kripke has no plans to retcon her motivations.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
10 May 2026
-
Although Talamasca is ending, AMC teased possible iterations of the universe in future shows.—
Alyssa Modos,
PEOPLE,
9 May 2026
Noun
-
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
Noun
-
The Uber initiative is the latest sally in a long war pitting plaintiffs and their lawyers against businesses, with legal fees as the battleground.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Prices of stocks and bonds, along with long-term interest rates, have oscillated up and down in response to the daily verbal sallies from the White House.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
27 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Josh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/josh. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
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