dad joke

American  

[dad johk] / ˈdæd ˌdʒoʊk /

noun

Informal.

• dad jokes
  plural

1. a corny joke or pun suggestive of those made by fathers to their children.

   You don’t have to have kids to tell awful dad jokes.

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Usage

What is a dad joke? The term dad joke is used to refer to a joke that's intentionally corny—the kind of joke that dads are known to tell their kids (or any random person they encounter). In most cases, the punch lines of dad jokes involve a pun or some form of wordplay.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dad jokes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dad joke

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dad joke

His version of a dad joke meant, I think, to jauntily suggest that I wasn’t his?

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2024

And then there was the dad joke that landed him on ESPN.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 14, 2023

It’s like a failed dad joke from someone who never had a father figure.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 24, 2023

While everyone probably knows a good "dad joke" or two, it can be a little harder to define a "dad show" on television.

From Salon ● May 9, 2022

And of course, good ol’ Victor Lockwood can’t resist a dad joke about how “hot” of a game it’s going to be.

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone