joke
something said or done to provoke laughter or cause amusement, as a witticism, a short and amusing anecdote, or a prankish act: He tells very funny jokes. She played a joke on him.
something that is amusing or ridiculous, especially because of being ludicrously inadequate or a sham; a thing, situation, or person laughed at rather than taken seriously; farce: Their pretense of generosity is a joke. An officer with no ability to command is a joke.
a matter that need not be taken very seriously; trifling matter: The loss was no joke.
something that does not present the expected challenge; something very easy: The test was a joke for the whole class.
to speak or act in a playful or merry way: He was always joking with us.
to say something in fun or teasing rather than in earnest; be facetious: He didn't really mean it, he was only joking.
to subject to jokes; make fun of; tease.
to obtain by joking: The comedian joked coins from the audience.
Origin of joke
1synonym study For joke
Other words for joke
Other words from joke
- jokeless, adjective
- jok·ing·ly, adverb
- half-joking, adjective
- half-jok·ing·ly, adverb
- un·jok·ing, adjective
- un·jok·ing·ly, adverb
Words Nearby joke
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use joke in a sentence
So, no, I might’ve said something slick, but I wasn’t cracking jokes all day, I don’t think.
Almost a decade ago, my step-siblings bought a pair for me and my partner as a joke.
“I do the standard eyeroll and the older the joke the bigger the eyeroll,” Monica wrote.
Habit forming: Here are some of the quirks that make these readers unique | John Kelly | February 7, 2021 | Washington PostSave any top secrets, dirty jokes or spoiler alerts for somewhere else.
“We just drug around there and told jokes all the way down,” he said.
Vietnam-era draftees may recall inoculations without needles. They were fast. | John Kelly | February 1, 2021 | Washington Post
Policemen on the show joke about prison riots, bomb threats, and the shooting of unarmed civilians.
'Babylon' Review: The Dumb Lives of Trigger-Happy Cops | Melissa Leon | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTA running joke inside the tribe is that the group is like that club with a hundred people waiting outside to get in.
‘We Out Here’: Inside the New Black Travel Movement | Charlise Ferguson | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTAnd that was well before this Christmas, when he appeared to joke about Obama being a Muslim.
How James Woods Became Obama’s Biggest Twitter Troll | Asawin Suebsaeng | December 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWithin a concentration camp, would someone make a joke about the number, the tattooed number?
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination | Mindy Farabee | December 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTAnyone willing to threaten war over a joke is clearly not playing with a full deck.
The Sony Hack and America’s Craven Capitulation To Terror | David Keyes | December 19, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe patriarchal decree of the government was a good deal of a joke on the plains, anyway—except when you were caught defying it!
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairMr. Crow was rocking back and forth on his perch, for a joke—on anybody except himself—always delighted him.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole | Arthur Scott BaileyWell, thinks I, this is no joke sure, at this lick I'll have family enuff to do me in a few years.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | Various"I don't think that's a very good joke," said the disappointed little boy.
Davy and The Goblin | Charles E. CarrylThe king, by way of joke, desired the earl to personate him, and ordered the petitioner to be admitted.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | Various
British Dictionary definitions for joke
/ (dʒəʊk) /
a humorous anecdote
something that is said or done for fun; prank
a ridiculous or humorous circumstance
a person or thing inspiring ridicule or amusement; butt
a matter to be joked about or ignored
joking apart seriously: said to recall a discussion to seriousness after there has been joking
no joke something very serious
(intr) to tell jokes
(intr) to speak or act facetiously or in fun
to make fun of (someone); tease; kid
Origin of joke
1Derived forms of joke
- jokingly, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with joke
see crack a joke; dirty joke; no joke; sick joke; standing joke; take a joke.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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