pun

American  

[puhn] / pʌn /

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.

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verb (used without object)

punned, punning

1. to make puns.

pun ¹ British  

/ 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)

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verb

1. (intr) to make puns

pun ² British  

/ pʌn /

verb

1. (tr) to pack (earth, rubble, etc) by pounding

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pun Cultural  

1. 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.”

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Usage

What is a pun? A pun is a humorous use of words with multiple meanings or words that sound similar but have different meanings, as in The gravekeeper buried the evidence under his desk. There are two ways to make a pun. The first involves using a word with more than one meaning to create humorous wordplay, as in The dentist put his assistants through some drills. A drill is both a tool a dentist uses and a training exercise. The second way is to use similar sounding words with different meanings to make humorous wordplay, as in The clown helped the children across the street. It was a kind jester. Here, jester, a type of clown, is used instead of the similar sounding gesture, meaning an action or a courtesy.

Other Word Forms

• punless adjective
• punner noun

Etymology

Origin of pun

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

Compare meaning

How does pun compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• pun vs. play on words

Explanation

A pun is a play on words. If a bird flying overhead takes a poop on the cake you’re carrying, you could say “Isn’t that just the icing on the cake!” But only if you want to be punny. Friend of the double entendre and other witticisms, a pun is a comedic phrase that plays off of the sounds and double meanings of words. Puns can be quite clever, but often come off as silly, cheeseball attempts at humor. That's probably why any good comedian will tell you that "a pun is a short quip followed by a long groan."

Example Sentences

At every moment, prioritizing one quality—perhaps a line’s rhythm—means sacrificing another: a pun, a joke, the velocity of a particular thought.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 22, 2026

They may be the subject of - pardon the pun - heated debate, almost religious in its fervour.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2026

Richard is one of a kind — no pun intended.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025

As a viewer begins to realize, these blind alleys, pun intended, are going to lead nowhere.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

“Whatever, girl, listen: I need you to suppress the urge to make a corny pun about what I’m about to say.”

From "Shadowshaper" by Daniel José Older

Related Words

• double entendre
• joke
• quip