practical joke
noun
: a prank intended to trick or embarrass someone or cause physical discomfort
practical joker
noun
Synonyms
Examples of practical joke in a Sentence
One of the children filled the sugar bowl with salt as a practical joke.
friends had left the risqué message on his voice mail as a practical joke
Recent Examples on the Web
His favorite thing to do was to pull practical jokes on our manager, Blake.
—
Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 19 July 2024
Baseball players are notorious for playing practical jokes on one another.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024
His latest film is a feature-length practical joke that centers around a false origin story for a 42-year-old song whose relevance only fades with each passing year.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2024
Dogs shot for no reason (and then used as props for gruesome practical jokes by the EMTs).
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 29 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for practical joke 
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.
Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 19 July 2024
Baseball players are notorious for playing practical jokes on one another.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024
His latest film is a feature-length practical joke that centers around a false origin story for a 42-year-old song whose relevance only fades with each passing year.
—Christian Zilko, IndieWire, 26 Sep. 2024
Dogs shot for no reason (and then used as props for gruesome practical jokes by the EMTs).
—Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 29 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for practical joke
Dictionary Entries Near practical joke
Cite this Entry
“Practical joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/practical%20joke. Accessed 15 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share