joking
IdiomsExplanation
You can describe something that's funny, lighthearted, or flippant as joking. A joking manner can be a good quality in a kids' dentist and a not-so-good quality in a funeral director. A joking birthday card might tease the recipient about his advanced age, and a joking tone in an interviewer's voice keeps the mood light and playful. When you're in a joking mood, you're full of good humor. At the heart of the adjective joking is joke, originally joque, from the Latin 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.
The one exception was when, at a campaign rally on Saturday, Massie took a shot at Gallrein’s support, joking that he’d been given a way to contact Gallrein for a potential concession speech.
From Slate • May 19, 2026
“I kind of manifested this whole thing and posted a couple TikToks last year just joking ... never thinking that it was a possibility,” Olson said during a “Good Morning America” interview on Wednesday.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
Some people even end up joking with their former partner years later about an old point of contention.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026
At his Tuesday show, Kimmel played a clip of Trump joking about his own age in a speech as he welcomed King Charles III earlier in the day.
From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026
Hannah returned the next week, and everyone was still joking about it.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
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.
