no joke

Idioms

Also, no laughing matter. A serious issue, as in Missing the last flight out was no joke, or This outbreak of flu is no laughing matter. The first term dates from about 1800, and the variant from the second half of the 1500s.

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.

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no joke

It was no joke to Mr. Daniels, then 22.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

Months or even years may pass before a single page is delivered, no joke.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2026

Donald Trump has ridiculed Denmark's defence of Greenland as amounting to "two dogsleds", but the Sirius Dogsled Patrol is no joke: the elite navy unit works in extreme conditions where only the toughest survive.

From Barron's ● Jan. 28, 2026

This thing is no joke — and yes, the price reflects it.

From Salon ● Nov. 20, 2025

I almost want to laugh but the look on Elsie’s face tells me this is no joke.

From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston

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

no joke

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