joke
Americannoun
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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.
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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.
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a matter that need not be taken very seriously; trifling matter.
The loss was no joke.
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something that does not present the expected challenge; something very easy.
The test was a joke for the whole class.
verb (used without object)
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to speak or act in a playful or merry way.
He was always joking with us.
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to say something in fun or teasing rather than in earnest; be facetious.
He didn't really mean it, he was only joking.
verb (used with object)
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to subject to jokes; make fun of; tease.
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to obtain by joking.
The comedian joked coins from the audience.
noun
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a humorous anecdote
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something that is said or done for fun; prank
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a ridiculous or humorous circumstance
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a person or thing inspiring ridicule or amusement; butt
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a matter to be joked about or ignored
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seriously: said to recall a discussion to seriousness after there has been joking
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something very serious
verb
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(intr) to tell jokes
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(intr) to speak or act facetiously or in fun
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to make fun of (someone); tease; kid
Synonym Usage
Joke, jest refer to something said (or done) in sport, or to cause amusement. A joke is something said or done for the sake of exciting laughter; it may be raillery, a witty remark, or a prank or trick: to tell a joke. Jest, today a more formal word, nearly always refers to joking language and is more suggestive of scoffing or ridicule than is joke : to speak in jest.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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unjokingadjective
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jokelessadjective
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unjokinglyadverb
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half-jokingadjective
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jokinglyadverb
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half-jokinglyadverb
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has jokedperfect 3rd person singular
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have jokedperfect
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are jokingprogressive
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am jokingprogressive 1st person singular
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is jokingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been jokingperfect progressive
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has been jokingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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jokessingular 3rd person
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jokingparticiple
Past
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had jokedperfect
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had been jokingperfect progressive
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were jokingprogressive plural
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jokedparticiple
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was jokingprogressive singular
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jokedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of joke
First recorded in 1660–70, joke is from the Latin word jocus “jest”
Explanation
A joke is a funny story or line that's meant to make people laugh. When you're good at telling jokes, you're the life of the party (and you're probably not telling knock-knock jokes). Many jokes have a "punch line," the part that either makes your listeners guffaw or groan, depending on how funny it is. The rest of the joke leads up to this climax. Another kind of joke is the "practical" sort, a prank, gag, or trick you play on someone. In the 1660s the word was spelled joque and was considered slang. It comes from the Latin root iocus, "joke, sport, or pastime."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Some in Los Angeles viewed his candidacy as a joke, but he chipped away at Bass’s lead in most polls.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026
Burke was also the first guy in that Dodgers clubhouse to crack a joke when the team needed it, his former teammate Rick Monday said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026
The joke, which revolved around a misunderstanding between a Kurdish woman and a doctor, also drew the ire of the pro-Kurdish opposition DEM party which said it had filed a complaint against him.
From Barron's • Jun. 6, 2026
It reminds me of the joke that you know an economist has a sense of humor if he uses decimal points.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026
And she even made that joke about the beach.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
