running joke
Americannoun
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a joke or humorous allusion used recurrently in a play, film, television skit, etc., for a cumulative comic effect.
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a subject, reference, remark, etc., that is a continual source of humor.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s become a running joke within the White House, as Trump has promised he will pardon anyone who came within 200 feet of the Oval Office.
From Slate • Apr. 16, 2026
“The running joke is everyone moves in kindergarten and everyone leaves after 12th grade.”
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026
"It actually became a kind of running joke within government that people would always find a way to bring it back to this conversation."
From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026
Dude, it became a running joke on the set how loose my pants were.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 6, 2025
The reason I was talking about all this was because the idea of things “unzipping” carried over from Tommy’s elbow to become a running joke among us about the donations.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
