practical joke
noun
a playful trick, often involving some physical agent or means, in which the victim is placed in an embarrassing or disadvantageous position.
practical jokes
-
pluralof practical joke.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
Now the 26-year-olds, from Liverpool, have turned their passion for practical jokes into their dream careers.
From BBC ● Jan. 4, 2026
Baseball players are notorious for playing practical jokes on one another.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2024
To this day she hates practical jokes and sometimes worries that someone is hiding behind a door to surprise her.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 31, 2024
When the prank is revealed, the guys have a huge laugh, but Katie points out that as practical jokes go, it was in poor taste, insensitive given the climate around police and violence.
From Salon ● May 26, 2023
He was impatient with his lessons, mouthed off at teachers, got poor grades, spent his hours coining witticisms and engineering elaborate practical jokes.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
