farce

American  

[fahrs] / fɑrs /

noun

• farces
  plural

1. a light, humorous play in which the plot depends upon a skillfully exploited situation rather than upon the development of character.

2. humor of the type displayed in such works.

3. foolish show; mockery; a ridiculous sham.

   Synonyms:

   travesty, burlesque

4. Cooking. forcemeat.

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verb (used with object)

farced, farcing

1. to season (a speech or composition), especially with witty material.

2. Obsolete. to stuff; cram.

farce British  

/ fɑːs /

noun

1. a broadly humorous play based on the exploitation of improbable situations

2. the genre of comedy represented by works of this kind

3. a ludicrous situation or action

4. Also: farcemeat. another name for forcemeat

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verb

1. to enliven (a speech, etc) with jokes

2. to stuff (meat, fowl, etc) with forcemeat

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• unfarced
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• farces
  plural

Etymology

Origin of farce

First recorded in 1300–50; (for the noun) Middle English fars “stuffing,” from Middle French farce, from Vulgar Latin farsa (unrecorded), noun use of feminine of Latin farsus, earlier fartus “stuffed,” past participle of farcīre “to stuff”; (for the verb) Middle English farsen, from Old French farcir, from Latin farcīre

Explanation

A farce is a broad satire or comedy, though now it's used to describe something that is supposed to be serious but has turned ridiculous. If a defendant is not treated fairly, his lawyer might say that the trial is a farce. As a type of comedy, a farce uses improbable situations, physical humor and silliness to entertain. Spoof films such as "Spaceballs," a comedy based on the Star Wars movies, are farces. If a real-life event or situation is a farce, it feels this ridiculous. An election is a farce, if the outcome has been determined before the voting begins. And class can feel like a farce if your substitute teacher knows less about the subject than you do.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

farce farces farced farcing

In placing the problems of his age on the stage, Dürrenmatt combined tragedy and grotesque comedy, poignant drama and political farce.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

Murray described the situation in Melbourne - where he beat Thanasi Kokkinakis in the second-latest finish in Grand Slam history - as a "farce".

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

But if the first go-rounds last year were tragedy—depressing stocks, spiking prices, and rending hearts in both countries—the latest skirmish is starting to look more like farce.

From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2026

The snap poll, called when Farage resigned last month from parliament amid scrutiny into his finances, was dismissed by some voters in the eastern constituency of Clacton as a "farce".

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

It would be a disgraceful farce in which he, Talc, would become the clown.

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

And theatergoers new to the play will encounter, whether they recognize it or not, one of the great modern English language farces.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 10, 2025

These actors sparked off each other, in fast-moving farces or quieter character moments.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 27, 2023

Onstage, onscreen and in books, her novels have been recast as slapstick farces, fantasy mash-ups, all-hands-on-deck Bollywood extravaganzas and saucy rom-coms.

From New York Times ● Jul. 20, 2022

The film was well received, but Mr. Morse struggled to translate his theatrical success to the screen, appearing in light comedies and bedroom farces that were largely ignored by viewers.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 21, 2022

He was also the author, alone and with others, of a great number of farces, burlesques and melodramas and a peculiarly successful adapter of popular novels for the stage.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 12, Slice 8 "Haller, Albrecht" to "Harmonium" by Various

These may also be stew'd, farced, baked, or put in Soups, or used in Fricassees.

From The Country Housewife and Lady's Director in the Management of a House, and the Delights and Profits of a Farm by Richard Bradley

The word forced should be read farced, the letter o having evidently dropped down into a box.

From Literary Blunders by Henry Benjamin Wheatley

The enemy's ranks were not forced with Macbeth's followers, but farced or filled up.

From Literary Blunders by Henry Benjamin Wheatley

Cabbage, farced 104 Calf’s-head ib. ——, like turtle ib. ——, to hash 105 ——, fricassee 106 ——, to pickle ib. —— liver 107 Cauliflowers with white sauce ib.

From The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory; In Which will Be Found a Large Collection of Original Receipts. 3rd ed. by Lady Charlotte Campbell Bury

The Dublin Troper of the thirteenth century has a number of farced Kyries and Glorias, also a collection of Sequences.

From The Glories of Ireland by P. J. Lennox

To many, the daring experiment of farcing what was obviously written as a farce, instead of playing it in the more usual " Oh Lord, here's a classic!" manner, seemed highly successful.

From Time Magazine Archive

I have; and if I’m to die respected and honored, if my family is to have any regard for my memory, I’ve got to get out of farcing.

From The Dreamers A Club by John Kendrick Bangs

To rost Shoulder or Fillet of Veal with farcing herbs.

From The Queen-like Closet or Rich Cabinet Stored with all manner of rare receipts for preserving, candying and cookery. Very pleasant and beneficial to all ingenious persons of the female sex by Hannah Wolley

Related Words

• absurdity
• burlesque
• caricature
• comedy
• joke
• mockery
• parody
• sham
• skit
• slapstick
• travesty