farce

American  

[fahrs] / fɑrs /

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.

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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

• unfarced adjective

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

"To sentence my 69-year-old father under the pretext that his actions lowered the 'likelihood' of my return to stand trial is not justice; it is a judicial farce," she said.

From Barron's • Feb. 26, 2026

But it also helps foster the jealousy-driven farce that takes over the current-day narrative and is genuinely funny: a rejiggered timeline in which McCarrol becomes a massive pop star and Johnson gets left behind.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

Students treat institutional rituals as a farce and openly mock their principal - calling him Yamdoot after the Hindu god of death - a blustering figure who addresses them as "My dear donkey".

From BBC • Feb. 13, 2026

The Montevideo Convention was written to prevent this kind of farce.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 7, 2026

"The mummer's farce has gone on long enough for to-day."

From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin

Related Words

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