tongue-in-cheek
CulturalExample Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But then Mulaney rounded the curve with a tongue-in-cheek reference to the “Bluey” dad controversy and I sat up straighter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
“Well, maybe a little,” he said, before quickly adding he was being half tongue-in-cheek.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
In Seattle, telecommunications company Lumen did its best to turn the situation on its head, filming a tongue-in-cheek video from the stadium it sponsors, normally the home of the NFL's Seahawks and MLS' Sounders.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
The film tries to make a tongue-in-cheek commentary about how the “Scream” reboot pushed Neve Campbell to the back burner and focused on a new group of teenagers.
From Salon ● Jun. 11, 2026
She put up with the officers asking tongue-in-cheek questions about her procedures.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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.
