joke

[ johk ]

noun

1. something said or done to provoke laughter or cause amusement, as a witticism, a short and amusing anecdote, or a prankish act:

   He tells very funny jokes. She played a joke on him.

   Synonyms: raillery, sally, quirk, quip, prank, jape, gag, wisecrack

2. something that is amusing or ridiculous, especially because of being ludicrously inadequate or a sham; a thing, situation, or person laughed at rather than taken seriously; farce:

   Their pretense of generosity is a joke. An officer with no ability to command is a joke.

3. a matter that need not be taken very seriously; trifling matter:

   The loss was no joke.

4. something that does not present the expected challenge; something very easy:

   The test was a joke for the whole class.

5. practical joke.

verb (used without object)

, joked, jok·ing.

1. to speak or act in a playful or merry way:

   He was always joking with us.

2. to say something in fun or teasing rather than in earnest; be facetious:

   He didn't really mean it, he was only joking.

verb (used with object)

, joked, jok·ing.

1. to subject to jokes; make fun of; tease.
2. to obtain by joking:

   The comedian joked coins from the audience.

joke

/ dʒəʊk /

noun

1. a humorous anecdote
2. something that is said or done for fun; prank
3. a ridiculous or humorous circumstance
4. a person or thing inspiring ridicule or amusement; butt
5. a matter to be joked about or ignored
6. joking apart
   seriously: said to recall a discussion to seriousness after there has been joking
7. no joke
   something very serious

verb

1. intr to tell jokes
2. intr to speak or act facetiously or in fun
3. to make fun of (someone); tease; kid

Derived Forms

• ˈjokingly, adverb

Other Words From

• jokeless adjective
• joking·ly adverb
• half-joking adjective
• half-joking·ly adverb
• un·joking adjective
• un·joking·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of joke¹

First recorded in 1660–70, joke is from the Latin word jocus “jest”

Word History and Origins

Origin of joke¹

C17: from Latin jocus a jest

Idioms and Phrases

see crack a joke ; dirty joke ; no joke ; sick joke ; standing joke ; take a joke .

Synonym Study

Joke, jest refer to something said (or done) in sport, or to cause amusement. A joke is something said or done for the sake of exciting laughter; it may be raillery, a witty remark, or a prank or trick: to tell a joke. Jest, today a more formal word, nearly always refers to joking language and is more suggestive of scoffing or ridicule than is joke : to speak in jest.

Example Sentences

“Tweeting 262 times about a bill that applies to like .00000001% of Congress in 36 hours is definitely about protecting women. It’s certainly not just a ploy for media attention,” Johnson joked.

From Salon

If I already know I’m the butt of the joke, then you can’t joke.

From Los Angeles Times

“I got kicked out of show business,” she jokes in her Netflix special, “For Your Approval,” which premiered on the streaming service in late September.

From Los Angeles Times

“I bet the Sotheby’s staff absolutely can’t wait to stop having to listen to banana jokes and pretend like it’s the first time they heard them,” said the art adviser David Norman.

From New York Times

Rayner deflected the question with a joke about Anderson's own career.

From BBC

Related Words

• banter
• laugh
• quip