pun

[ puhn ]

noun

1. the humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings or applications, or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning; a play on words.
2. the word or phrase used in this way.

verb (used without object)

, punned, pun·ning.

1. to make puns.

pun

¹

/ pʌn /

noun

1. the use of words or phrases to exploit ambiguities and innuendoes in their meaning, usually for humorous effect; a play on words. An example is: "Ben Battle was a soldier bold, And used to war's alarms: But a cannonball took off his legs, So he laid down his arms." (Thomas Hood)

verb

1. intr to make puns

pun

²

/ pʌn /

verb

1. tr to pack (earth, rubble, etc) by pounding

pun

1. A humorous substitution of words that are alike in sound but different in meaning ( see double-entendre ), as in this passage from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll :

   “And how many hours a day did you do lessons?” said Alice, in a hurry to change the subject.

   “Ten hours the first day,” said the Mock Turtle, “nine the next, and so on.”

   “What a curious plan!” exclaimed Alice.

   “That's the reason they're called lessons,” the Gryphon remarked: “because they lessen from day to day.”

Derived Forms

• ˈpunner, noun

Other Words From

• punless adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of pun¹

First recorded in 1655–65; perhaps special use of pun, variant (now dialectal) of pound ¹, in the sense “to mistreat (words)”

Word History and Origins

Origin of pun¹

C17: possibly from Italian puntiglio point of detail, wordplay; see punctilio

Origin of pun²

C16: dialectal variant of pound ¹

Example Sentences

He also mentioned “attacking food prices by going after some of these anti-competitive mergers ... attacking climate change by continuing our investment in renewable energy, and also really diving into the water issue. No pun intended.”

From Los Angeles Times

Regrettably, our 10 seconds of trying to come up with a terrible fascism-themed pun involving plantar fasciitis have been wasted.

From Slate

When I boil it down — cooking pun! — that excitement and passion for discovering more of it is why I cook.

From Salon

“A Different Man” is a different type of movie, pun intended.

From Salon

He swiftly — no pun intended — deactivated his X account and apologized in a series of Instagram stories early Thursday morning.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• double entendre
• joke
• quip