practical joke

American  

noun

practical jokes plural

1. a playful trick, often involving some physical agent or means, in which the victim is placed in an embarrassing or disadvantageous position.

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practical joke British  

noun

1. a prank or trick usually intended to make the victim appear foolish

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• practical joker
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• practical jokes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of practical joke

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

“This is more of a sincere gesture, not necessarily a practical joke but I wanted to present it to him.”

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2025

Needless to say, the entire episode - which sounds like a youthful practical joke gone wrong, but took place when the candidate was 60 - is odd.

From BBC • Aug. 5, 2024

The con job was, he thinks, “no more than a practical joke, really. Good clean sport.”

From New York Times • Apr. 8, 2024

Was it all some kind of practical joke?

From Slate • Mar. 16, 2023

In a way this was Finny’s view, except that naturally he saw it comically, as a huge and intensely practical joke, played by fat and foolish old men bungling away behind the scenes.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Related Words

• prank