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

See Examples For:

practical joke

Jason Hughes, 40, came out of his home to surprise the students who were tossing toilet papers over trees as part of a practical joke.

From BBC ● Mar. 9, 2026

Was it all some kind of practical joke?

From Slate ● Mar. 16, 2023

At Helsinki, she was the ringleader in a practical joke played on Avery Brundage, president of the U.S.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2023

It's almost as if McCarthy was playing some kind of elaborate practical joke.

From Salon ● Feb. 22, 2023

Maybe this was a practical joke on a big scale.

From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd

Related Words

• prank