joke
Americannoun
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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.
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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.
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a matter that need not be taken very seriously; trifling matter.
The loss was no joke.
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something that does not present the expected challenge; something very easy.
The test was a joke for the whole class.
verb (used without object)
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to speak or act in a playful or merry way.
He was always joking with us.
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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)
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to subject to jokes; make fun of; tease.
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to obtain by joking.
The comedian joked coins from the audience.
noun
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a humorous anecdote
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something that is said or done for fun; prank
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a ridiculous or humorous circumstance
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a person or thing inspiring ridicule or amusement; butt
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a matter to be joked about or ignored
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seriously: said to recall a discussion to seriousness after there has been joking
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something very serious
verb
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(intr) to tell jokes
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(intr) to speak or act facetiously or in fun
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to make fun of (someone); tease; kid
Related Words
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.
Other Word Forms
- half-joking adjective
- half-jokingly adverb
- jokeless adjective
- jokingly adverb
- unjoking adjective
- unjokingly adverb
Etymology
Origin of joke
First recorded in 1660–70, joke is from the Latin word jocus “jest”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Leo, I’m sorry I made that joke. It’s cheap,” she said.
From Los Angeles Times
“I always make the joke that investors need nine reasons to buy bank stocks, and they only need one reason to sell them,” Raymond James analyst Michael Rose said.
“The Golden Globes. Without a doubt, the most important thing that’s happening in the world right now,” she joked.
From Salon
In 2023, the couple showed off their remarkable abode in a shoot with Architectural Digest, which joked that the pair had created a “mad, mad, mad, mad world” inside their townhouse.
From MarketWatch
From Nikki Glaser’s best jokes to the big winners of the night, including “One Battle After Another,” “Adolescence” and the surprise “Hamnet” win, here’s what happened at the awards show.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
