as in jokes
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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Recent Examples of one-liners
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
Even the most promising characters, like a self-aware God with anxiety issues, fizzled out and were left to deliver undercooked one-liners.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
Marsden and González make their suave movie star turns look easy, looking comfortable wielding weapons of any sort from an arsenal that ranges from wicked smirks, and killer one-liners to plenty of guns.
—Stephen Saito, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026
The deceptively low-key humor of Demetri Martin was once labeled nerdy or alternative, given his smart one-liners, on-stage drawings and overall subtly.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2026
Embry remembers going a little too dramatic with one of his one-liners, only for Williamson to reel him back.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Mar. 2026
The episode originally aired on December 16, 2010, and has since become Housewives canon, producing a trove of one-liners and GIFs still circulating fifteen years later.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
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
Even the most promising characters, like a self-aware God with anxiety issues, fizzled out and were left to deliver undercooked one-liners.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
Marsden and González make their suave movie star turns look easy, looking comfortable wielding weapons of any sort from an arsenal that ranges from wicked smirks, and killer one-liners to plenty of guns.
—Stephen Saito, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026
The deceptively low-key humor of Demetri Martin was once labeled nerdy or alternative, given his smart one-liners, on-stage drawings and overall subtly.
—John Wenzel, Denver Post, 5 Mar. 2026
Embry remembers going a little too dramatic with one of his one-liners, only for Williamson to reel him back.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Mar. 2026
The episode originally aired on December 16, 2010, and has since become Housewives canon, producing a trove of one-liners and GIFs still circulating fifteen years later.
—Literary Hub, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-liners
Noun
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TikTok Reacts Viewers flooded the comments with theories and jokes.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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On social media, make jokes that don’t follow logic or build toward a punch line, but rather rely on jump cuts and endless captions.—
Emily Menez,
New Yorker,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The guys hit a Foxwoods, get some laughs, and skip back home.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
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Styled like a hyper-sexualized Powerpuff Girl, Cherry is responsible for many of the film’s biggest laughs — and some of its strangest tonal misfires.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The initial experience of Shakespeare’s meter leads to a world of discovery of a man who quite literally changed the world with witticisms and insight and has shaped every corner of humanity since the 16th century.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
4 Feb. 2026
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During Bloomberg’s pursuit of office, a 1990 booklet in which business colleagues had compiled his witticisms surfaced.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
1 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“One-liners.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/one-liners. Accessed 1 Apr. 2026.
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