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.

---

punch line British  

noun

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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• punch lines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of punch line

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25

Example Sentences

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

Chinese culture may be of genuine interest to many users, but online, it’s destined to become an exotic punch line.

From Slate • Mar. 13, 2026

The team that spent its first four decades of existence as a punch line and a purgatory has now had 14 consecutive winning seasons with a succession of basketball greats wearing its uniform.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

She told him, with the suppressed laughter of a person impatient for the punch line of her own joke, about the telemarketer who thought that London was in France.

From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie