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
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
For anyone who has ever struggled to learn the notoriously difficult Ottoman language—sometimes described as a practical joke played on historians—forcing it on a generation of schoolchildren might seem like the quickest way for Erdogan to destroy his popularity (and the Ottoman Empire’s as well).
—Nick Danforth, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2015
See all Example Sentences for practical joke 
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
For anyone who has ever struggled to learn the notoriously difficult Ottoman language—sometimes described as a practical joke played on historians—forcing it on a generation of schoolchildren might seem like the quickest way for Erdogan to destroy his popularity (and the Ottoman Empire’s as well).
—Nick Danforth, Foreign Affairs, 6 Jan. 2015
See all Example Sentences for practical joke
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'practical joke.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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 2 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share