Q: Do dads always tell dad jokes?
A: You tell me—I didn’t know doodads could tell jokes at all!
Sorry. We know you have real questions about dad jokes, including:
- What is a dad joke?
- When does a joke become a dad joke?
- Are dad jokes supposed to be funny?
- And why are they called dad jokes?
We’ll answer these questions and more, and we’ll even list examples of good dad jokes—or bad dad jokes, depending on how you feel about them.
Do you love Dad Jokes? Prove it! Enter our Dad Joke Contest. The deadline is June 6!
What are dad jokes?
When someone calls a joke a “dad joke,” they’re saying it’s the kind of corny joke that dads are known to tell their kids—or, let’s be honest, any random person they’re interacting with. Such jokes are so strongly associated with dads that they became known as dad jokes.
But that doesn’t mean it’s only a dad joke when a dad tells it.
Instead, a dad joke is typically identified by the fact that it’s intentionally corny. In most cases, the punch lines in dad jokes involve a pun or some form of wordplay.
When does a joke become a dad joke?
This is another way of asking: What qualifies as a dad joke?
Dad jokes may be clever, but they’re usually not subtle. They often rely on over-the-top puns or pure silliness. The real question is…
Are dad jokes supposed to be funny?
Good question. Dad jokes are funny to the teller. But part of why the teller probably thinks the joke is funny is because they know just how unfunny most other people will find it. And an intentionally unfunny joke is… sometimes kinda funny, right?
Even when you find a dad joke a little funny, it’s usually less laugh-out-loud funny than laugh-inside funny. Perhaps the best way to define a dad joke is as the kind of joke that makes you roll your eyes or groan due to how corny it is. Which is, of course, what the dad joke teller intends and thrives on. (Your groaning only encourages them!)
Good dad jokes, bad dad jokes, and corny dad jokes
We’ve compiled some of the best dad jokes we could find. Are they funny dad jokes? That depends on your taste. Yes, some are told by actual dads, but as you’ll see, what they all have in common is that they’re intentionally corny. You’re welcome.
Prices at the balloon store have gone up. I guess it’s due to inflation. #dadjokes
— Dean Shein (@shein_dean) May 25, 2022
Man, I need a hair cut. But come to think of it, I need them all cut. #dadjokes
— Liz Dueweke 🫠 (@LizDueweke) May 25, 2022
Apparently IKEA now provide legal services.
The lawyers are very cheap but you have to build your own case.#dadjokes
— Selvaseelan Selvarajah (@DrSelvarajah) May 21, 2022
No flatbread for your meal? That’s a naan issue
— Adam (@adamgreattweet) March 4, 2021
My uncle works for a company that makes bicycle wheels.
He’s the Spokesman.#dadjokes #JokeoftheDay
— Bad Dad Jokes (@baddadjokes) March 16, 2020
Did you hear about the human cannonball?
Too bad he got fired!#dadjokes— 𝔅𝔯𝔞𝔡 (@bpridgeo) May 22, 2022
Dad Jokes:
I decided to sell my vacuum. It was collecting dust.I had a dream I was floating in an ocean of orange soda. It was really more of a Fanta Sea. #dadjokes
— Jamie Spittler™ (@therealSPZA) May 18, 2022
Today’s #dadjoke – not sure if you have noticed, but I love bad puns. That’s just how eye roll.
— Rick Roberts (@Rick93Q) May 17, 2022
I have decided to paint every single piece of clothing that I own. I'm on the second coat.#puns #dadjokes
— Pun Girl Pam (@pungirlpam) May 19, 2022
