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

The five Georgia teens whose teacher died during a fatal practical joke will not be prosecuted in the educator's death, the district attorney has said.

From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026

“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

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

Seems the gas station man was a real card and liked to welcome dumb rookies with his little practical joke.

From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli

Related Words

• prank