as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
the senator deftly inserted some smart one-liners into an otherwise sober speech
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of one-liner
Fret not, the sequel to the 2023 Super Mario Bros movie is here with a plethora of new one-liners for kids to repeat without end.
—
Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Not all of the performances are uniformly excellent, and some of the one-liners Ropp writes in for Brian’s classmates and parents land awkwardly.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2026
The deadpan one-liners exaggerating his strength, speed and toughness to absurd levels, turned Norris into one of the internet’s first global memes.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
With his roundhouse kicks, tough-guy one-liners and a formidable moral compass, Chuck Norris delivered kick-ass heroes for years on screens large and small, cementing himself in pop culture back in the 1980s.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for one-liner
Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 3 Apr. 2026
Not all of the performances are uniformly excellent, and some of the one-liners Ropp writes in for Brian’s classmates and parents land awkwardly.
—Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2026
The deadpan one-liners exaggerating his strength, speed and toughness to absurd levels, turned Norris into one of the internet’s first global memes.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
With his roundhouse kicks, tough-guy one-liners and a formidable moral compass, Chuck Norris delivered kick-ass heroes for years on screens large and small, cementing himself in pop culture back in the 1980s.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for one-liner
Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-liner
Noun
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These headwinds, together with Spirit’s ongoing reputational challenges like being the target of jokes by late-night hosts and prominent press coverage of its two brushes with bankruptcy, likely account for Spirit’s satisfaction decline.—
Zach Wichter,
USA Today,
23 Apr. 2026
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As anachronisms constantly threaten to puncture the illusion, the cast stays wry, nimble and self-conscious in order to locate plot points and jokes that reinforce the golden-age radio setting, scribbling notes and introducing characters that propel them through ludicrous narrative arcs.—
John Wenzel,
Denver Post,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
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What follows is a crescendo of bloody madness, including a gruesome toenail cutting scene that shouldn’t be viewed while eating, a grandma being eaten alive by a pack of coyotes and a truly bonkers wake that erupts into laugh-out-loud violence thanks to a pair of dentures.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
17 Apr. 2026
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With sparse amounts of slapstick, this staging isn’t the most physical of farces, though Lutz and Enriquez in particular strike some laugh-out-loud poses.—
Emily McClanathan,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There was none of the usual laughing and joking.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“One-liner.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/one-liner. Accessed 24 Apr. 2026.
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