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take a joke

Idioms

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.

“We as conservatives should be able to take a joke; we shouldn’t take ourselves so seriously.”

From Salon • Sep. 11, 2025

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

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 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

Lawyers for the toy’s maker, Arizona-based VIP Products, told the high court that Jack Daniel’s can’t take a joke.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 21, 2022

More commonly it was left to me to figure out such essentials as who was in charge, who was good to work with, who could take a joke.

From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023