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punch line

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noun
the climactic phrase or sentence in a joke, speech, advertisement, or humorous story that produces the desired effect.
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Origin of punch line

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use punch line in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for punch line

punch line

noun
the culminating part of a joke, funny story, etc, that gives it its humorous or dramatic point
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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