jape
[ jeyp ]
/ dʒeɪp /
Save This Word!
verb (used without object), japed, jap·ing.
to jest; joke; gibe.
verb (used with object), japed, jap·ing.
to mock or make fun of.
noun
a joke; jest; quip.
a trick or practical joke.
QUIZ
ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?
We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.
Question 1 of 8
Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?
Meet Grammar CoachImprove Your Writing
Origin of jape
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English japen, perhaps from Old French jap(p)er “to bark,” of imitative origin
OTHER WORDS FROM jape
japer, nounjap·er·y, nounjap·ing·ly, adverbDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
How to use jape in a sentence
Now let the japer, and the smiler with his knife, do me what harm they may.
French Mediaeval Romances from the Lays of Marie de France|Marie de France
British Dictionary definitions for jape
jape
/ (dʒeɪp) /
noun
a jest or joke
verb
to joke or jest (about)
Derived forms of jape
japer, nounjapery, nounjapingly, adverbWord Origin for jape
C14: perhaps from Old French japper to bark, yap, of imitative origin
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