farce

American  

[fahrs] / fɑrs /

noun

1. a light, humorous play in which the plot depends upon a skillfully exploited situation rather than upon the development of character.

2. humor of the type displayed in such works.

3. foolish show; mockery; a ridiculous sham.

   Synonyms:

   travesty, burlesque

4. Cooking. forcemeat.

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verb (used with object)

farced, farcing

1. to season (a speech or composition), especially with witty material.

2. Obsolete. to stuff; cram.

farce British  

/ fɑːs /

noun

1. a broadly humorous play based on the exploitation of improbable situations

2. the genre of comedy represented by works of this kind

3. a ludicrous situation or action

4. Also: farcemeat.  another name for forcemeat

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verb

1. to enliven (a speech, etc) with jokes

2. to stuff (meat, fowl, etc) with forcemeat

Other Word Forms

• unfarced adjective

Etymology

Origin of farce

First recorded in 1300–50; (for the noun) Middle English fars “stuffing,” from Middle French farce, from Vulgar Latin farsa (unrecorded), noun use of feminine of Latin farsus, earlier fartus “stuffed,” past participle of farcīre “to stuff”; (for the verb) Middle English farsen, from Old French farcir, from Latin farcīre

Explanation

A farce is a broad satire or comedy, though now it's used to describe something that is supposed to be serious but has turned ridiculous. If a defendant is not treated fairly, his lawyer might say that the trial is a farce. As a type of comedy, a farce uses improbable situations, physical humor and silliness to entertain. Spoof films such as "Spaceballs," a comedy based on the Star Wars movies, are farces. If a real-life event or situation is a farce, it feels this ridiculous. An election is a farce, if the outcome has been determined before the voting begins. And class can feel like a farce if your substitute teacher knows less about the subject than you do.

Example Sentences

“This report is a farce, a joke,” said Raúl Servín, part of a citizens group that searches for the missing in the western state of Jalisco, which regularly ranks near the top in disappearances.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

The Brit Awards have recognised the cream of British and global pop music since they were first held in 1977, but have often been peppered with scandal and farce.

From Barron's • Feb. 28, 2026

There’s a world in which AI might even help us push against the always-on connectivity that has made a farce of “work-life balance.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 24, 2026

The editor, unaware of the farce and buoyed by wartime cheer, immediately agrees.

From Salon • Dec. 25, 2025

Because if that’s all they are—if there are no rules governing our lives—then our entire existence is a meaningless farce.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

Related Words

• absurdity
• burlesque
• caricature
• comedy
• joke
• mockery
• parody
• sham
• skit
• slapstick
• travesty