joke 1 of 2

noun

ˈjōk How to pronounce joke (audio)
Definition of jokenext
1
as in laugh
something said or done to cause laughter he was known for his hilarious jokes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in parody
a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something her rendition of the national anthem is a joke

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fool
a person or thing that is made fun of having lost his looks and his voice years ago, these days he's just a show business joke and fodder for late-night comedy

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

joke

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to fun
to make jokes he was known for his ability to joke about his lack of anything resembling a social life

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2
as in to tease
to make fun of in a good-natured way oh, don't get offended, I was just joking you

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of joke
Noun
Television’s rise forced it to reinvent itself by introducing live disc jockeys who played music and told jokes. — Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026 Others said criticism of her was misogynistic or saw it as an opportunity to go after Hughes for laughing at a joke the president made after the gold medal game. — Matt Reigle Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
When Jost — who was co-hosting a one-night-only comedy show on the ferry with Davidson in collaboration with Snapple — was asked what Johansson, 41, thinks about the ongoing project, Jost joked that her involvement has its limits. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 28 Sep. 2026 Swifties quickly took notice of the picture, with some joking about her decision to delay releasing her actual wedding photos. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 28 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for joke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joke
  1. laugh
  2. parody
  3. fool
  4. kid
  5. tease
  6. joking
  7. caricature
  8. target
Noun
  • This autumn, there are plenty of comedians rounding the country, all primed to provide you with boundless laughs.
    — Justin Klawans, TheWeek, 1 Oct. 2026
  • This laugh-out-loud picture book will delight young readers (and anyone else who’d like several hundred puppies).
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of laugh
Noun
  • The audience, by then, once united in laughing at its easier targets of parody, had become more fractious and ill-at-ease.
    — Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Of course, this being a MAGA parody and being SNL, the joke had to go further.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of parody
Noun
  • The Trasks encounter a wide swath of citizens, haggling with sneaky cheats, exploiting innocent fools, and befriending big-hearted neighbors.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2026
  • To protest in the street, to be arrested for attacking a police officer or vandalizing private property, or making a fool of yourself in any of a hundred different ways is valuable currency to anyone seeking status within an activist organization.
    — Chris Roemer, Baltimore Sun, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of fool
Verb
  • Pursuing big goals while parenting shows kids the value of hard work and resilience.
    — Lauren Brown West-Rosenthal, Parents, 15 Sep. 2026
  • What everyday skills should kids practice before the first week of school?
    — Ashley Lynch, Kansas City Star, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of kid
Verb
  • Audrey Niffenegger has long teased the sequel to The Time Traveler’s Wife, featuring Clare and Henry’s Chrono-Displaced daughter Alba and her two husbands—Oliver, a time traveler like her, and Zach, existing in linear time.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Projections of silhouettes walking across the walls teased the upcoming show for roughly half an hour as guests were seated in their corresponding sections.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of tease
Noun
  • Arch Manning's joking comments at a news conference about a fake video of coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN reporter Holly Rowe erupted in controversy.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Indeed, at lunch, instead of separating into groups to eat, all 16 participants form one mega table and spend the half-hour joking and laughing together.
    — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of joking
Noun
  • But Iñárritu’s caricatures become people in a way Kubrick’s don’t; as the bewildered President, for example, John Goodman is simultaneously grounded and theatrical in his presentation, recalling his best work with the Coen brothers.
    — Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Instead of digging into the details of personality and circumstance — this school has a specific class for Shakespeare and also English teachers who are literature-hating caricatures?
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of caricature
Noun
  • Depending on the system and target, the heat can damage sensors, electronics, structural components or other critical parts.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Western military officers have said key military installations in Kaliningrad would be a likely first target should Russia ever launch an attack on any NATO ally.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of target

Phrases Containing joke

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jointures
joke
joked
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Cite this Entry

“Joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joke. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on joke

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about joke

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