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
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Recent Examples of one-liner
The trial sparked national attention and generated numerous viral memes, thanks to Cardi’s behavior during the proceedings, including, but not limited to, her fiery one-liners and bold fashion choices both on the stand and outside the courthouse.
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Thania Garcia, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
As a performer, he's known for his larger-than-life persona, deft physicality, and token one-liners.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
And before Hope even launched into his one-liners, Carrie Fisher’s mom Debbie Reynolds had performed a musical number tribute to Hollywood history.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 22 Aug. 2025
Usually, Jones wasn’t short of a good one-liner himself.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for one-liner
Thania Garcia, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
As a performer, he's known for his larger-than-life persona, deft physicality, and token one-liners.
—Randall Colburn, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025
And before Hope even launched into his one-liners, Carrie Fisher’s mom Debbie Reynolds had performed a musical number tribute to Hollywood history.
—Christian Blauvelt, IndieWire, 22 Aug. 2025
Usually, Jones wasn’t short of a good one-liner himself.
—Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for one-liner
Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-liner
Noun
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Though the movie is accessible to new fans, there are plenty of winks and nods for diehards who can understand what might seem, to the uninitiated, like cheesy moments—a cringeworthy English rap verse, a scene parodying the product placement in K-dramas—as self-aware jokes.—
Yvonne Kim,
The Atlantic,
12 Sep. 2025
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That means having to cut jokes that don't fit his do-no-harm MO.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
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What captured millions of TikTok users' hearts was the pure joy that can be heard in her son’s laughs as her husband shields him from the rain.—
Natalia Senanayake,
PEOPLE,
14 Sep. 2025
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The ratio of laughs to drama changes quite sharply, however, as Joan takes her hostages off on their journey, leading to a bond with Tyler and a lot of unexpected revelations about Joan’s background.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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When Peanut pulled his second escape act, his owners knew where to look and handled Peanut's disappearance in a joking manner.—
Michael Nied,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
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Multiple outlets that examined the reporting identified the claim as unverified and labeled the story a hoax; Colbert had previously made a joking on-air reference to streaming platforms but had not announced any deal with Netflix.—
Megan Cartwright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Batemen gets a few moving monologues, but Vince’s heavier dose of morbid witticisms aren’t enough to overcome his pervasive selfishness and abominable behavior (nor is a late-arriving revelation about his past).—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
7 Sep. 2025
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Discontent is brimming with witticisms and scathing observations about our modern-day malaise.—
Julia Hass,
Literary Hub,
2 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“One-liner.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/one-liner. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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