as in joking
marked by or expressive of mild or good-natured teasing
made kidding remarks about her lack of skills in the kitchen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in fooling
Related Words
1
as in teasing
to make fun of in a good-natured way
everybody's kidding me about my new haircut
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in jesting
to make jokes
he always kids around about his "wild and crazy" life as an accountant
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of kidding
Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 22 Jan. 2026
Just kidding, Kim’s is a real and rational response, but Natalie is not having it.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
While fictional, Joel’s compassion and care can’t help but feel like counterprogramming to the cynical everyday horrors of violent deportations, open bigotry from leading politicians, measles outbreaks and the return of whole milk (kidding!
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
Just kidding, that’s next Sunday.
—Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
On New Year's Eve, the weather was a balmy (kidding) 25 degrees Fahrenheit, and after spending hours braving the cold, peeling off our wet socks and stepping onto the warm wooden floors was pure heaven.
—Kayla Brock, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2025
Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 11 Feb. 2026
Literally toxic lesbians — kidding.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Just kidding - but honestly not sold on him being the best player on a championship caliber team.
—The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2025
The Aggies coach wasn’t kidding.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Just before Thursday’s taping Pence and Emanual met outside the greenroom, and each greeted each other warmly, quickly asking each other questions about their kids before anything else, while kidding with each other about a long unpaid bet.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
Okay, kidding about that last part.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 7 Oct. 2025
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
Noun
Here’s what winning a National Championship taught me about B2B sales 🏆 (kidding…kinda) 1.
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC news, 22 Jan. 2026
Just kidding, Kim’s is a real and rational response, but Natalie is not having it.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
While fictional, Joel’s compassion and care can’t help but feel like counterprogramming to the cynical everyday horrors of violent deportations, open bigotry from leading politicians, measles outbreaks and the return of whole milk (kidding!
—Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 18 Dec. 2025
Just kidding, that’s next Sunday.
—Alex Kirshner, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
On New Year's Eve, the weather was a balmy (kidding) 25 degrees Fahrenheit, and after spending hours braving the cold, peeling off our wet socks and stepping onto the warm wooden floors was pure heaven.
—Kayla Brock, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2025
Verb
There are also cool maps on the local prevalence of certain health conditions, from arthritis and asthma to cancer and high cholesterol to diabetes and depression to — not kidding here — where people have lost all their teeth.
—Teri Sforza, Oc Register, 11 Feb. 2026
Literally toxic lesbians — kidding.
—Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025
Just kidding - but honestly not sold on him being the best player on a championship caliber team.
—The Athletic Nba Staff, New York Times, 30 Oct. 2025
The Aggies coach wasn’t kidding.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2025
Just before Thursday’s taping Pence and Emanual met outside the greenroom, and each greeted each other warmly, quickly asking each other questions about their kids before anything else, while kidding with each other about a long unpaid bet.
—Ted Johnson, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
Okay, kidding about that last part.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 7 Oct. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for kidding
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
Noun
-
In his verse, Bad Bunny directly addresses the chats, calling attention to Rosselló’s mocking of the dead from Hurricane María and his rampant homophobia.—
Julyssa Lopez,
Rolling Stone,
26 Jan. 2026
-
With a mocking appreciation for her overbearing family and caustic wit for her younger self, Yajia warmly works from the thesis that kids are extraordinarily weird, scary, and kind-of-dumb creatures who really don’t know any better.—
Brian Boone,
Vulture,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Humphrey's work consists of reviewing thousands of messages and tags, seeking permission from original video creators and balancing humor with teasing.—
Kate Perez,
USA Today,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Netflix released a trailer on Friday teasing what’s to come from the remaining four episodes, which are set to drop on February 26.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In Entertainment Weekly's exclusive first look at Daniels' first appearance in the Apple TV comedy, Jimmy and Randy sit at the dinner table, where Jimmy is served a healthy helping of parental ribbing.—
Ashley Boucher,
Entertainment Weekly,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The friendly ribbing is rooted in respect.—
Dane Mizutani,
Twin Cities,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Episodes are a blend of political analysis, jokes that test the boundaries of good taste, and interviews with high-profile guests.—
Aidan McLaughlin,
Vanity Fair,
19 Feb. 2026
-
General catastrophizing Some people are naturally prone to anxiety and overthinking everything—like a work typo, or a throwaway joke that now feels catastrophic.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
His razzing of The Problem With Jon Stewart was the best grace note on the piece.—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
12 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Kidding.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/kidding. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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