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take a joke

Idioms  

  1. Accept teasing at one's own expense, as in Sam really couldn't take a joke. This idiom, often put negatively, was first recorded in 1780. Also see take it.

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.

“He can take a joke, and he can give a joke,” Lewis said.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2023

"You're cool. You're not judgy. You can take a joke, and I like that. Like your dad."

From Salon • Apr. 24, 2023

All the target has to do is understand that; she just needs to lighten up, take a joke, accept the compliment, grasp the lesson.

From Slate • Apr. 21, 2023

The toy’s maker says Jack Daniel’s can’t take a joke.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 20, 2022

The elfin emissary tried to smile a little, like he could take a joke.

From "The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge" by M.T. Anderson and Eugene Yelchin

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.