punch line

American  

noun

punch lines plural

1. the climactic phrase or sentence in a joke, speech, advertisement, or humorous story that produces the desired effect.

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punch line British  

noun

1. the culminating part of a joke, funny story, etc, that gives it its humorous or dramatic point

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• punch lines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of punch line

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

punch line

She comes up with a superior punch line, one worth delivering to an audience.

From Salon ● May 29, 2026

Her response to questions about the DOJ’s failure to prosecute Epstein’s accomplices with the statement “the Dow is over $50,000 right now” became an immediate punch line.

From Slate ● Apr. 2, 2026

They had to train with a gun, for example, and, more important, let go of the need for punch line.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2025

I’m a Jersey-born Muslim, same as Youssef, and I was wedged in Row N next to an auntie who looked primed to eye-roll any haram punch line.

From Slate ● Jun. 30, 2025

Within minutes, she’d blabbed to everyone, making it sound like a big joke—with Jess and the twins as the punch line.

From "I Survived the Eruption of Mount St. Helens, 1980" by Lauren Tarshis