joy

1 of 2

noun

ˈjȯi 

1

a

: a feeling of great happiness or pleasure : delight

Seeing you happy gives me such joy.

They were shouting/jumping for joy. [=they shouted/jumped because they were very happy]

b

: the expression or exhibition of such emotion

a gathering full of joy and laughter

2

: a state of great happiness : bliss

wishes of love, joy, and peace for all

3

: a source or cause of delight

The sun is the joy and the sorrow of the people. It destroys their crops while it warms them with the heat they could not live without.

—Maia Wojciechowska

Discovering something new is one of the great joys of eating out.

—Tim Fish

The old boat was his pride and joy.

The baby is a little bundle of joy.

joyless

ˈjȯi-ləs 

adjective

joylessly adverb

joylessness noun

joy

2 of 2

verb

joyed; joying; joys

intransitive verb

archaic

: to experience great pleasure or delight : rejoice

transitive verb

1

archaic : gladden

2

archaic : enjoy

Synonyms of joy

Noun

• happiness
• bliss
• blissfulness

Verb

• delight
• glory
• triumph

Examples of joy in a Sentence

Noun

Their sorrow turned to joy.

I can hardly express the joy I felt at seeing her again.

Seeing her again brought tears of joy to my eyes.

The flowers are a joy to behold!

What a joy it was to see her again.

Verb

the whole town is joying in the fact that its oldest church has been restored to its Victorian splendor

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

If Yan sticks around long enough to make his celebrations old news, plenty of others within the Mets might join him in jumping up with joy. — Will Sammon, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026

Sagittarius November 22 – December 21 A group plan works better when your joy is included. — Tarot.com, Sun Sentinel, 16 Aug. 2026

Gemini May 21 – June 20 A little planning can make joy easier to enjoy. — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 16 Aug. 2026

Like, listening to the song, no one’s thinking about this theme of losing childhood joy and all these darker themes. — Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French joie, from Latin gaudia, plural of gaudium, from gaudēre to rejoice; probably akin to Greek gēthein to rejoice

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing joy

• jump for joy
• shout for joy

Rhymes for joy

• boy
• choy
• coy
• croy
• foy
• hoi
• hoy
• loy
• oy
• ploy
• soy
• toy

Kids Definition

joy

1 of 2 noun

ˈjȯi 

1

: a feeling of great pleasure or happiness that comes from success, good fortune, or a sense of well-being : gladness

2

: something that gives joy

a joy to behold

joyless

-ləs 

adjective

joylessness noun

joy

2 of 2 verb

: to experience joy : rejoice