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Synonyms

one-liner

American  
[wuhn-lahy-ner] / ˈwʌnˈlaɪ nər /

noun

  1. a brief joke or amusing remark.

one-liner British  

noun

  1. informal a short joke or witty remark or riposte

"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

Etymology

Origin of one-liner

1965–70, one line + -er 1

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.

“It’s like climbing a mountain,” he says, flaunting his well-honed ability to turn even the toughest-learned lesson into a playful one-liner: “Everybody’s waving at you, ‘Go back, go back.’

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 24, 2025

Knox, the American student accused of murder, who spent four years in an Italian prison, is figuring out a one-liner.

From Salon • Apr. 14, 2025

She added: "He was always the first to help people in need. Brimming with empathy and living for the present, he would always have a funny one-liner up his sleeve making everyone around him laugh."

From BBC • May 28, 2024

“I don’t like one-liner buildings where you kind of walk in and you get it all in one shot. It should be more of an accumulation of events and experiences and perceptions.”

From Seattle Times • Mar. 5, 2024

Something catches me off guard—a TV show, a funny one-liner from my dad, a comment in class—and I laugh like nothing ever happened.

From "All The Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven

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.