farce

[fahrs]

noun

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.

verb (used with object)

farced, farcing 

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

2. Obsolete.,  to stuff; cram.

farce

/ 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

verb

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

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

Other Word Forms

• unfarced adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of farce¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of farce¹

C14 (in the sense: stuffing): from Old French, from Latin farcīre to stuff, interpolate passages (in the mass, in religious plays, etc)

Example Sentences

"There are loads of characters, it's just bonkers and brilliant, it's kind of like a big farce. I can't wait to get started."

Read more on BBC

Do we really want to incentivize vigilantes like YouTube copycat Skeet Hansen, seen in the documentary machinating and uploading his own stakeouts, pitiful farces of justice with the catchphrase “You’ve just been Skeeted”?

Read more on Los Angeles Times

It has always been a bit of a farce, the way America’s right-wing libertarians speak up for “freedom” only when a government, led by Democrats, is explicitly involved.

Read more on Salon

The Highlands and Islands MSP, speaking during time set aside to agree the parliamentary business programme, described the summit as a "sham" and a "farce".

Read more on BBC

And America’s largest institutions, from its sports leagues to its universities, play along with this farce in the name of national unity.

Read more on Salon

Related Words

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