joke

[johk]

noun

something said or done to provoke laughter or cause amusement, as a witticism, a short and amusing anecdote, or a prankish act: He tells very funny jokes. She played a joke on him.

something that is amusing or ridiculous, especially because of being ludicrously inadequate or a sham; a thing, situation, or person laughed at rather than taken seriously; farce: Their pretense of generosity is a joke. An officer with no ability to command is a joke.

a matter that need not be taken very seriously; trifling matter: The loss was no joke.

something that does not present the expected challenge; something very easy: The test was a joke for the whole class.

practical joke.

verb (used without object), joked, jok·ing.

to speak or act in a playful or merry way: He was always joking with us.

to say something in fun or teasing rather than in earnest; be facetious: He didn't really mean it, he was only joking.

verb (used with object), joked, jok·ing.

to subject to jokes; make fun of; tease.

to obtain by joking: The comedian joked coins from the audience.

Origin of joke

First recorded in 1660–70, joke is from the Latin word jocus jest

Related formsjoke·less, adjectivejok·ing·ly, adverbhalf-jok·ing, adjectivehalf-jok·ing·ly, adverbun·jok·ing, adjectiveun·jok·ing·ly, adverb

Synonyms for joke

1. wisecrack, gag, jape, prank, quip, quirk, sally, raillery. Joke, jest refer to something said (or done) in sport, or to cause amusement. A joke is something said or done for the sake of exciting laughter; it may be raillery, a witty remark, or a prank or trick: to tell a joke. Jest, today a more formal word, nearly always refers to joking language and is more suggestive of scoffing or ridicule than is joke : to speak in jest.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for half-joking

Contemporary Examples of half-joking

And, quite frankly, “the women were running out,” he said, half-joking.
Revealing The Unseen Picasso
Justin Jones
November 3, 2014
“We can blame Carrie Bradshaw for this,” says Shaunaq Arora, half-joking; his sigh tinged with the cloudy breath of his Gauloises.
How Brooklyn Invaded Paris—Next Stop, the World
Brandon Presser
October 23, 2014
Detroiters, now erecting a Robocop statue as a half-joking, half-serious morale boost, may want to consider bronzing Mulally next.
The CEO Hail Mary: A Scorecard on Corporate Change Agents
Nick Summers
March 1, 2011
The half-joking quip was reported around the world as if it were a call for divine providence.
Inside Holbrooke's War With the White House
The Daily Beast
January 14, 2011

Historical Examples of half-joking

"I do not try to alter yours," I remember he said once, in his half-joking way.
Lover or Friend
Rosa Nouchette Carey
The old, half-joking maternal manner was all in earnest now.
Sisters
Kathleen Norris
"All correct, sir," said Sonny laughingly, and with a half-joking salute.
Air Men o' War
Boyd Cable
"Quite so," answered the other in his careless, half-joking style.
Miss Ravenel's conversion from secession to loyalty
J. W. de Forest
I rather like the half-joking way you do your kindest things.
The Place Beyond the Winds
Harriet T. Comstock

British Dictionary definitions for half-joking

half-joking

adjective

said, done, or acting in a seemingly jokey manner, but with some serious intent

Derived Formshalf-jokingly, adverb

joke

noun

a humorous anecdote

something that is said or done for fun; prank

a ridiculous or humorous circumstance

a person or thing inspiring ridicule or amusement; butt

a matter to be joked about or ignored

joking apart seriously: said to recall a discussion to seriousness after there has been joking

no joke something very serious

verb

(intr) to tell jokes

(intr) to speak or act facetiously or in fun

to make fun of (someone); tease; kid

Derived Formsjokingly, adverb

Word Origin for joke

C17: from Latin jocus a jest

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for half-joking

joke

1660s, "to make a joke," from Latin iocari "to jest, joke," from iocus (see joke (n.)). Related: Joked; joking.

joke

1660s, joque, "a jest, something done to excite laughter," from Latin iocus "joke, sport, pastime," from PIE root *yek- "to speak" (cf. Breton iez "language," Old High German jehan "to say," German Beichte "confession").

Originally a colloquial or slang word. Meaning "something not to be taken seriously" is 1791. Practical joke "trick played on someone for the sake of a laugh at his expense" is from 1804 (earlier handicraft joke, 1741). Black joke is old slang for "smutty song" (1730s), from use of that phrase in the refrain of a then-popular song as a euphemism for "the monosyllable."

Idioms and Phrases with half-joking

joke

see crack a joke; dirty joke; no joke; sick joke; standing joke; take a joke.