pun

[puhn]

See more synonyms for pun on Thesaurus.com

noun

the humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings or applications, or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning; a play on words.
the word or phrase used in this way.

verb (used without object), punned, pun·ning.

to make puns.

Origin of pun

1655–65; perhaps special use of pun, variant (now dial.) of pound¹, i.e., to mistreat (words)

Related formspun·less, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for puns

joke, quip, witticism, conceit, quibble, ambiguity, paronomasia, equivoque

Examples from the Web for puns

Contemporary Examples of puns

Stephen Colbert dug up the clip and had a laugh, sprinkling on some fun with puns to seal the deal.
Dumpster Politicians, Jeter Tributes, and More Viral Videos
Jack Holmes
September 21, 2014
Yet despite his pleas, and perhaps because of his puns, I want to give him a hand.
Reporter Miles O’Brien Lost an Arm but None of His Admirable Spirit or Wit
Kevin Bleyer
March 2, 2014
The most retweeted messages are those with jests and puns and wordplay—and graffiti.
Smiling Under a Cloud of Tear Gas: Elif Shafak on Istanbul’s Streets
Elif Shafak
June 11, 2013
It is an unabashed statement about corporate identity rather than product—akin to Kenneth Cole, but without the puns.
Benetton’s Rebirth
Robin Givhan
September 23, 2012
You ditch worn out habits and routines— the same old group playing the same old games—for new toys and tricks, puns intended.
The Stars Predict Your Week
Starsky + Cox
September 10, 2011

Historical Examples of puns

"Neither does our excellent preceptress approve of puns," said Clara.
A Tangled Tale
Lewis Carroll
The puns have a flavour of their medival home, the monasteries.
The Civilisation of the Renaissance in Italy
Jacob Burckhardt
Emma cried, and he tried to console her, adorning his protestations with puns.
Madame Bovary
Gustave Flaubert
Emma wept, and he tried to console her, adorning his protestations with puns.
Madame Bovary
Gustave Flaubert
He puns on the name Molon and molæ, "mill at which slaves worked."
The Letters of Cicero, Volume 1
Marcus Tullius Cicero

British Dictionary definitions for puns

pun

noun

the use of words or phrases to exploit ambiguities and innuendoes in their meaning, usually for humorous effect; a play on words. An example is: "Ben Battle was a soldier bold, And used to war's alarms: But a cannonball took off his legs, So he laid down his arms." (Thomas Hood)

verb puns, punning or punned

(intr) to make puns

Word Origin for pun

C17: possibly from Italian puntiglio point of detail, wordplay; see punctilio

pun

verb puns, punning or punned

(tr) British to pack (earth, rubble, etc) by pounding

Derived Formspunner, noun

Word Origin for pun

C16: dialectal variant of pound 1

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

Word Origin and History for puns

pun

1660s (first attested in Dryden), of uncertain origin, perhaps from pundigron, which is perhaps a humorous alteration of Italian puntiglio "equivocation, trivial objection," diminutive of Latin punctum "point." This is pure speculation. The verb also is attested from 1660s. Related: Punned; punning.

Pun was prob. one of the clipped words, such as cit, mob, nob, snob, which came into fashionable slang at or after the Restoration. [OED]

puns in Culture

pun

A humorous substitution of words that are alike in sound but different in meaning (see double-entendre), as in this passage from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll:

“And how many hours a day did you do lessons?” said Alice, in a hurry to change the subject.
“Ten hours the first day,” said the Mock Turtle, “nine the next, and so on.”
“What a curious plan!” exclaimed Alice.
“That's the reason they're called lessons,” the Gryphon remarked: “because they lessen from day to day.”