pun
[ puhn ]
/ pʌn /
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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.
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The rainy weather could not ________ my elated spirits on my graduation day.
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Origin of pun
1655–65; perhaps special use of pun, variant (now dial.) of pound1, i.e., to mistreat (words)
OTHER WORDS FROM pun
punless, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use pun in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for pun (1 of 2)
pun1
/ (pʌn) /
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
British Dictionary definitions for pun (2 of 2)
pun2
/ (pʌn) /
verb puns, punning or punned
(tr) British to pack (earth, rubble, etc) by pounding
Derived forms of pun
punner, nounWord 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
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Cultural definitions for pun
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.”
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.