punch line
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
Words nearby punch line
punch biopsy, punch bowl, punch card, punch graft, punch in, punch line, punch list, punch out, punch press, punch spoon, punch-and-judy show
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Example sentences from the Web for punch line
Watch them make off like punch-line bandits during this “Joke Off” at a mini-SNL reunion last year.
Golden Globes Hosts Tina Fey & Amy Poehler’s Funniest Moments (Video)|Kevin Fallon|January 12, 2014|DAILY BEASTInstead, Kennedy took the punch-line for himself and applied the loud laughs he earned as an inoculation against a poisonous idea.
He began to hold back slyly, like a comedian building up the tension before a punch-line.
The Fourth R|George Oliver Smith
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
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