joke

[ johk ]

/ dʒoʊk /

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See synonyms for: joke / joked / jokes / joking on Thesaurus.com

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR joke

1 wisecrack, gag, jape, prank, quip, quirk, sally, raillery.

See synonyms for joke on Thesaurus.com

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Origin of joke

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

synonym study for joke

1. 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 WORDS FROM joke

jokeless, adjectivejok·ing·ly, adverbhalf-joking, adjectivehalf-jok·ing·ly, adverb

un·jok·ing, adjectiveun·jok·ing·ly, adverb

Words nearby joke

Joinvile, Joinville, joist, jojoba, Jokai, joke, jokebook, joker, jokester, jokey, joking

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use joke in a sentence

So, no, I might’ve said something slick, but I wasn’t cracking jokes all day, I don’t think.
Dulcé Sloan on Where She Gets Her Funny From|Joshua Eferighe|February 9, 2021|Ozy
Almost a decade ago, my step-siblings bought a pair for me and my partner as a joke.
The Most Practical Outdoor Dining Outfit Is a Snuggie|Jaya Saxena|February 9, 2021|Eater
“I do the standard eyeroll and the older the joke the bigger the eyeroll,” Monica wrote.
Habit forming: Here are some of the quirks that make these readers unique|John Kelly|February 7, 2021|Washington Post
Save any top secrets, dirty jokes or spoiler alerts for somewhere else.
Georgetown gains a little gem in Lutèce|Tom Sietsema|February 5, 2021|Washington Post

“We just drug around there and told jokes all the way down,” he said.
Vietnam-era draftees may recall inoculations without needles. They were fast.|John Kelly|February 1, 2021|Washington Post
Policemen on the show joke about prison riots, bomb threats, and the shooting of unarmed civilians.
'Babylon' Review: The Dumb Lives of Trigger-Happy Cops|Melissa Leon|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A running joke inside the tribe is that the group is like that club with a hundred people waiting outside to get in.
‘We Out Here’: Inside the New Black Travel Movement|Charlise Ferguson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
And that was well before this Christmas, when he appeared to joke about Obama being a Muslim.
How James Woods Became Obama’s Biggest Twitter Troll|Asawin Suebsaeng|December 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Within a concentration camp, would someone make a joke about the number, the tattooed number?
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination|Mindy Farabee|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Anyone willing to threaten war over a joke is clearly not playing with a full deck.
The Sony Hack and America’s Craven Capitulation To Terror|David Keyes|December 19, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The patriarchal decree of the government was a good deal of a joke on the plains, anyway—except when you were caught defying it!
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Mr. Crow was rocking back and forth on his perch, for a joke—on anybody except himself—always delighted him.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
Well, thinks I, this is no joke sure, at this lick I'll have family enuff to do me in a few years.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
"I don't think that's a very good joke," said the disappointed little boy.
Davy and The Goblin|Charles E. Carryl
The king, by way of joke, desired the earl to personate him, and ordered the petitioner to be admitted.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various

British Dictionary definitions for joke

joke

/ (dʒəʊk) /

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 forms of joke

jokingly, 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

Other Idioms and Phrases with joke

joke

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

joke

OTHER WORDS FOR joke

Origin of joke

synonym study for joke

OTHER WORDS FROM joke

Words nearby joke

Words related to joke

How to use joke in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for joke

Derived forms of joke

Word Origin for joke

Other Idioms and Phrases with joke