as in prank
a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke
friends had left the risqué message on his voice mail as a practical joke
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of practical joke
At a lavish country house party, a practical joke appears to have gone horribly, murderously wrong.
—
Jake Kanter, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
With over 300 episodes to shoot, there was time for some practical jokes.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025
This is all some practical joke that’s being played on me.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Jordan had thought he’d been set up for a practical joke.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for practical joke
Jake Kanter, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
With over 300 episodes to shoot, there was time for some practical jokes.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025
This is all some practical joke that’s being played on me.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Jordan had thought he’d been set up for a practical joke.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for practical joke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for practical joke
Noun
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But the prank could come with legal consequences.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
13 May 2026
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Students entered Christ The King Catholic High School after hours on April 22 to stage a senior prank.—
Rebecca Noel,
Charlotte Observer,
12 May 2026
Noun
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Many of his later programs have been capped by a coda in which the tricks of the trade are laid bare—no trick being more vital than that of extreme patience, with camera operators waiting days, or even weeks, for the right cub, or pup, or fledgling, or froglet, to show up.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
8 May 2026
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There is not a whole lot to chuckle about these days, and her column does the trick for me every week.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
Noun
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The experience is still going to sell to a lot of people who can afford it—I’m getting the college experience, the frats, the football.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
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Shaina Montiel says her mother stills cries thinking about her harrowing experience with hantavirus at age 5, which, according to the CDC, can have a fatality rate up to 38%, depending on the type of syndrome caused by it.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
Noun
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As extravagant as these boundless adventures can be, their scores can be equally sparse.—
Billie Bugara,
Pitchfork,
9 May 2026
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Most visitors come for the underground experience of the cave itself, but there's plenty of aboveground adventures to be had, too, including miles of hiking trails, biking, canoeing and kayaking on the Green and Nolin Rivers, and horseback riding.—
Dave Parfitt,
USA Today,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Practical joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/practical%20joke. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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