joke
Americannoun
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jokes
plural
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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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jokes,
present (3rd person singular)
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joked,
past participle, past
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joking
present participle
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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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jokes,
present (3rd person singular)
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joked,
past participle, past
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joking
present participle
-
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
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
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half-jokingadjective
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jokelessadjective
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unjokingadjective
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half-jokinglyadverb
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jokinglyadverb
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unjokinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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jokesimple
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jokessimple
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have jokedperfect
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has jokedperfect
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am jokingprogressive
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are jokingprogressive
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is jokingprogressive
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have been jokingperfect progressive
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has been jokingperfect progressive
Past
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jokedsimple
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had jokedperfect
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was jokingprogressive
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were jokingprogressive
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had been jokingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of joke
First recorded in 1660–70, joke is from the Latin word jocus “jest”
Explanation
A joke is a funny story or line that's meant to make people laugh. When you're good at telling jokes, you're the life of the party (and you're probably not telling knock-knock jokes). Many jokes have a "punch line," the part that either makes your listeners guffaw or groan, depending on how funny it is. The rest of the joke leads up to this climax. Another kind of joke is the "practical" sort, a prank, gag, or trick you play on someone. In the 1660s the word was spelled joque and was considered slang. It comes from the Latin root iocus, "joke, sport, or pastime."
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.
See Examples For:
But the notice for early renewal of licence from the FCC came a day after ABC's late-night host Jimmy Kimmel made a joke about first lady Melania Trump.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026
After a seven-month-long US fuel embargo and rolling power cuts, locals joke that they are sick of seeing the stars.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
It isn’t happenstance: The 66-year-old is playing a game with analysts, according to people familiar with the matter, and only a small circle inside Bank of America is in on the joke.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
For most creatives, it would be the setup for a single joke.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
It told the story of a joke run wild, and two girls taken advantage of by a much older sister.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
The superhero franchises just go on and on, and if you don’t know the histories or mythologies or inside jokes, well, you’re simply not a member of the sect.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
“Protecting ourselves from that humiliation is a very human instinct, and that’s what a lot of our jokes are about.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The president, according to the news website Semafor, external, often muses - and jokes - about becoming a target of assassination.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
His death, at age 43, brought cruel jokes about his size, and suddenly I did not want to talk about him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
The confident, unhurried way he addressed my father, the dozens of jokes he made about Miss Genovese.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
“You could end up bombing Paraguay,” Rubio joked.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
"We did it in the front garden the day before, and we had perfect weather, so it works," joked Jamie.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
"I pledge to build at least one affordable house," Binface joked in his Clacton manifesto.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
“As the saying goes…this ain’t rocket science, well actually, rocket science is literally our daily business,” Musk joked as the stock plunged Tuesday evening.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
“We are only clueless some of the time,” Jeff joked.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
He described attempting the keto diet as a “near-psychotic event” brought on by sugar withdrawal, joking that giving someone in his position that much irritability could have geopolitical consequences.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
But, joking aside, he emphasizes that some of these diseases can be very serious, causing encephalitis, neurological impairment, and death.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
The three were smiling and joking, seemingly unaware of any impending attack, the images indicate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
“I found investors who have made joking comments, like: ‘Just don’t sell to Datadog,’ where it’s a little bit tense,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026
She keeps a straight face, but her sparkling eyes tell me she’s joking.
From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan
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.
