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

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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

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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

She ridiculed Lee's latest overture, calling it "the climax of the farce that everyone should watch" and said the military's demand her country apologise was "quite ridiculous."

From Barron's ● Oct. 3, 2026

The Netflix limited series starring Julianne Moore, Meghann Fahy, Milly Alcock and Kevin Bacon offers a mix of hifalutin ideas, family drama and dark farce.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

It says there is "fury at latest jet farce" which follows "a string of similar outages" with the national air traffic control service.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 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

Sportswriters argued that the rich event was a farce arranged to pad Seabiscuit’s bankroll.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

“This darkest of farces is also frighteningly timely.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2025

Yes, it was militantly anti-message, building small-bore farces around four single, child-free New Yorkers who had an inordinate amount of time to sit in a diner.

From New York Times ● Feb. 2, 2024

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

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 27, 2023

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

But that July day on the terrace at Saux, the offer seemed of all farces the wildest, and of all impertinences the most absurd.

From The Red Cockade by Stanley John Weyman

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

From Literary Blunders by Henry Benjamin Wheatley

You may make a Sauce to these farced Fowls with stew'd Mushrooms toss'd up with Cream; the same may be done with Turkeys, Pheasants, &c.

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

From Literary Blunders by Henry Benjamin Wheatley

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

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

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

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

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

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Related Words

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

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