pun

[ puhn ]
See synonyms for: punpunnedpunningpuns on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. 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.

  2. the word or phrase used in this way.

verb (used without object),punned, pun·ning.
  1. to make puns.

Origin of pun

1
First recorded in 1655–65; perhaps special use of pun, variant (now dialectal) of pound1, in the sense “to mistreat (words)”

Other 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

  • "Sorry that I could not have treated you to fresher puns," retorted Clifford, laughingly.

  • “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 Eaton
  • Yet more similar are the speeches of the madmen with their horrible words, and those of fools with their mirthless puns.

  • Bad puns were evidently common on the stage before the days of Victorian burlesque.

    Witch, Warlock, and Magician | William Henry Davenport Adams
  • Stupid things puns—made one myself then, though—just like me.

    Frank Fairlegh | Frank E. Smedley

British Dictionary definitions for pun (1 of 2)

pun1

/ (pʌn) /


noun
  1. 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)

verbpuns, punning or punned
  1. (intr) to make puns

Origin of pun

1
C17: possibly from Italian puntiglio point of detail, wordplay; see punctilio

British Dictionary definitions for pun (2 of 2)

pun2

/ (pʌn) /


verbpuns, punning or punned
  1. (tr) British to pack (earth, rubble, etc) by pounding

Origin of pun

2
C16: dialectal variant of pound 1

Derived 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

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.