1
a
: something said or done to provoke laughter
especially
: a brief oral narrative with a climactic humorous twist
b(1)
: the humorous or ridiculous element in something
(2)
: an instance of jesting : kidding
can't take a joke
c
d
2
: something not to be taken seriously : a trifling matter
consider his skiing a joke—
Harold Callender
—often used in negative constructionsHarold Callenderit is no joke to be lost in the desert
Synonyms
Examples of joke in a Sentence
Noun
She meant it as a joke, but many people took her seriously.
They played a harmless joke on him.
They are always making jokes about his car.
I heard a funny joke yesterday.
the punch line of a joke
I didn't get the joke.
That exam was a joke.
Their product became a joke in the industry.
He's in danger of becoming a national joke.
Verb
My friends would joke about the uniform I had to wear at work.
She joked about the possibility of losing her job.
I thought he was joking when he said he might quit, but it turned out that he really meant it.
Don't take it seriously: I was only joking.
She spent a few minutes joking with reporters after giving her speech.
She joked that she could always get work as a truck driver if she lost her job.
Recent Examples on the Web
Callum Booth, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Speaking over Zoom, Vidal told me that in 2019 many people took Trump’s suggestion about buying Greenland as a joke.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
Auzinea Bacon, CNN, 13 Jan. 2025
This jubilance, and appreciation for Messam’s work was documented on Good Morning America, where the actor joked with Robin Roberts about taking the role in order to wear the armor.
—Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for joke 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Humor is a helpful tool in dealing with tension and stress, so making jokes about an incident that can help manage the feelings of cognitive dissonance and helplessness news like this can elicit.
—Callum Booth, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
Speaking over Zoom, Vidal told me that in 2019 many people took Trump’s suggestion about buying Greenland as a joke.
—John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
Verb
Anyone who wants continued access to the app could move to another country, a creator joked in a video posted to the platform.
—Auzinea Bacon, CNN, 13 Jan. 2025
This jubilance, and appreciation for Messam’s work was documented on Good Morning America, where the actor joked with Robin Roberts about taking the role in order to wear the armor.
—Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for joke
Dictionary Entries Near joke
Cite this Entry
“Joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/joke. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
joke
1 of 2 noun1
a
: something said or done to cause laughter
especially
: a brief story with a humorous twist
b
: the humorous element in something
c
: good-natured kidding
can't take a joke
2
: something not to be taken seriously
that exam was a joke
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