practical joke

See synonyms for: practical jokepractical joker on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a playful trick, often involving some physical agent or means, in which the victim is placed in an embarrassing or disadvantageous position.

Origin of practical joke

1
First recorded in 1840–50

Other words from practical joke

  • practical joker, noun

Words Nearby practical joke

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use practical joke in a sentence

  • Weiner tried to pass the thing off as a practical joke inspired by his last name, hoping the press would move on.

  • There was one practical joke, however, that Paul directed at Altman that did pay off.

    My Pal Paul Newman | A. E. Hotchner | March 19, 2010 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • I wanted to believe that I was really leaving, that it was not a dream, or some cruel (un)practical joke.

    First Day Out of Prison | John Forté | January 26, 2009 | THE DAILY BEAST
  • He was beginning to hope that Romanoff had been playing a practical joke on him, and that all his fears were groundless.

    The Everlasting Arms | Joseph Hocking
  • He felt that he must be the victim of a practical joke, and it was time that his dignity asserted itself.

    A Hoosier Chronicle | Meredith Nicholson
  • Betsy's enjoyment of a joke, even of a practical joke, was perhaps the strongest bond between the Emperor and his little neighbor.

    Napoleon's Young Neighbor | Helen Leah Reed
  • He recognized it as no more than a practical joke, plain and simple; but the idea was clamoring for attention.

  • Pushing Tony inside, and then closing the door behind, he retreated, laughing heartily to himself over his practical joke.

    Tony Butler | Charles James Lever

British Dictionary definitions for practical joke

practical joke

noun
  1. a prank or trick usually intended to make the victim appear foolish

Derived forms of practical joke

  • practical joker, 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