practical joke

noun

: a prank intended to trick or embarrass someone or cause physical discomfort
practical joker noun

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
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.
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 

Word History

First Known Use

1776, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of practical joke was in 1776

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 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

practical joke

noun
: a joke involving something that is done rather than said
especially : a trick played on a person
practical joker noun

More from Merriam-Webster on practical joke

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