pun
the humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings or applications, or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning; a play on words.
the word or phrase used in this way.
to make puns.
Origin of pun
1Other words from pun
- punless, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use pun in a sentence
Stephen Colbert dug up the clip and had a laugh, sprinkling on some fun with puns to seal the deal.
Dumpster Politicians, Jeter Tributes, and More Viral Videos | Jack Holmes | September 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTYet despite his pleas, and perhaps because of his puns, I want to give him a hand.
Reporter Miles O’Brien Lost an Arm but None of His Admirable Spirit or Wit | Kevin Bleyer | March 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHaving that name and its attendant endless puns cannot be easy in the first place.
The most retweeted messages are those with jests and puns and wordplay—and graffiti.
Smiling Under a Cloud of Tear Gas: Elif Shafak on Istanbul’s Streets | Elif Shafak | June 11, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTIt is an unabashed statement about corporate identity rather than product—akin to Kenneth Cole, but without the puns.
"Sorry that I could not have treated you to fresher puns," retorted Clifford, laughingly.
A Fortune Hunter; Or, The Old Stone Corral | John Dunloe Carteret“This is no time for bad puns,” she answered, dragging me swiftly down through the orchard, and up again to the sundial.
The Idyl of Twin Fires | Walter Prichard EatonYet more similar are the speeches of the madmen with their horrible words, and those of fools with their mirthless puns.
Tolstoy on Shakespeare | Leo TolstoyBad puns were evidently common on the stage before the days of Victorian burlesque.
Witch, Warlock, and Magician | William Henry Davenport AdamsStupid things puns—made one myself then, though—just like me.
Frank Fairlegh | Frank E. Smedley
British Dictionary definitions for pun (1 of 2)
/ (pʌn) /
the use of words or phrases to exploit ambiguities and innuendoes in their meaning, usually for humorous effect; a play on words. An example is: "Ben Battle was a soldier bold, And used to war's alarms: But a cannonball took off his legs, So he laid down his arms." (Thomas Hood)
(intr) to make puns
Origin of pun
1British Dictionary definitions for pun (2 of 2)
/ (pʌn) /
(tr) British to pack (earth, rubble, etc) by pounding
Origin of pun
2Derived forms of pun
- punner, noun
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
Cultural definitions for pun
A humorous substitution of words that are alike in sound but different in meaning (see double-entendre), as in this passage from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll:
“And how many hours a day did you do lessons?” said Alice, in a hurry to change the subject.
“Ten hours the first day,” said the Mock Turtle, “nine the next, and so on.”
“What a curious plan!” exclaimed Alice.
“That's the reason they're called lessons,” the Gryphon remarked: “because they lessen from day to day.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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