one-liner

noun

ˌwən-ˈlī-nər How to pronounce one-liner (audio)
Definition of one-linernext
as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter the senator deftly inserted some smart one-liners into an otherwise sober speech

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of one-liner Woollen gets off some crisp one-liners. — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026 This Father's Day, break out these silly (and slightly cringe-y) one-liners, puns, riddles, and jokes. — Jamie Fischer, Parents, 20 June 2026 At Blaze’s house, Jessie and the gang meet an interactive potty-training toy called Smarty Pants, a toilet-paper roll with light-up eyes and the voice of Conan O’Brien, who spends the movie gamely dropping one mildly scatological one-liner after another. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 19 June 2026 Joel Roster is graced with some of the best one-liners as the sage old rocker Pop, a recent Stage find who is a strong character actor. — David John Chávez, Mercury News, 18 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for one-liner
Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-liner
  1. joke
  2. laugh
  3. joking
Noun
  • For a few hours, the disappearance was fodder for office jokes, Mélanie Brinbaum, Nestlé’s European head of marketing and consumer communications, tells Fortune.
    — Sam Birchall, Fortune, 20 July 2026
  • Poor Sirs Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are back in the mix, reprising their X-Men roles, and somehow, Channing Tatum is Gambit, like, for real and not as a joke.
    — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 20 July 2026
Definition of joke
Noun
  • Resplendent in a dark top and flowered scarves, Jackie has his hair ratted out, creating a kind of nimbus around his poignant, ready-to-laugh face, which is powdered white, with shiny, metallic-looking paillettes around the eyes.
    — Hilton Als, New Yorker, 17 July 2026
  • The dialogue, meanwhile, is played hilariously straight — good luck finding a laugh among these uncharted stars — and often consists of someone shouting another character's name.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of laugh
Noun
  • Back in December 1968, Dolan wrote a joking column about the earlier Lake Worth monster, from way back in 1947.
    — Star-Telegram staff, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 July 2026
  • Oh, but the Padres manager was ready with the joking last night.
    — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2026
Definition of joking

Browse Nearby Words

oneiromancy
one-liner
one-liners
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“One-liner.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/one-liner. Accessed 23 Jul. 2026.

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