wordplay

[ wurd-pley ]

noun

1. clever or subtle repartee; verbal wit.
2. a play on words; pun.

wordplay

/ ˈwɜːdˌpleɪ /

noun

1. verbal wit based on the meanings and ambiguities of words; puns, clever repartee, etc

Word History and Origins

Origin of wordplay¹

First recorded in 1870–75; word + play

Example Sentences

It seemed ripe for the Invite, since it incorporated both wordplay and pet-peeve humor and, likely, political humor as well.

From Washington Post

The idea is to increase the chance that your oh-so-clever wordplay won’t be the same one that 14 other people sent in — a chronic problem with our crossword contests.

From Washington Post

The Style Invitational is renowned for all sorts of clever, irreverent humor and wordplay in its almost quarter-century of varied contests.

From Washington Post

Hip-hop, with its emphasis on flamboyant wordplay, should be a natural fit for the lyrics-heavy sound of musical theater.

From Vox

With some cute wordplay, the heroes of “Anthem” are called Freelancers, or Lancers, and wear armor called Javelins.

From Washington Post

Waldman overlays her comic situations and satiric conversations with ironic literary allusions and witty wordplay.

From The Daily Beast

The advice is littered with such headache-inducing wordplay.

From The Daily Beast

Doubtless stocks new WordPlay Shakespeare program aimed at getting students engaged in Bard via youthful fondness for high tech.

From The Daily Beast

He created a special puzzle for Oprah Winfrey when he appeared on the show to promote the Wordplay documentary about crosswords.

From The Daily Beast

Once again, wordplay and ethnicity wounded an office-seeking Virginia Republican.

From The Daily Beast

Abbott and he sometimes swerved into wordplay about love; but up to 1820, or thereabouts, the passion was potential merely.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• banter
• pleasantry
• rejoinder
• retort
• sarcasm