as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
a close-knit family constantly exchanging lighthearted joshes at the dinner table
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as in to joke
to make jokes
a very outgoing man who joshes with everyone he meets
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Recent Examples of josh
Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2025
Hudson’s accordion seems to come strolling in from a sidewalk serenade to meet Helm’s amused, exasperated vocal, joshing him along with countermelodies, trills and wheezily encouraging chords.
—Jon Pareles, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Elwood experiences some of the usual rigors of prison and reform school: the bullying, the joshing around, the discipline, the abuse.
—K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
Bale, speaking in a bland, hollow voice that has the slightest hint of frat-boy joshing, delivers a piece of polished, satiric archness that goes well beyond the obvious allegorical gag (capitalism = murder) into ... what, exactly?
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024
The movie’s best moments are the ones in which Mary and Paul camp out in front of the TV, drinking whiskey and joshing each other well into the wee hours.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2023
For over four decades, since taking over from Chuck Woolery, Sajak has been at that spot, joshing with Vanna White, heaving the wheel on final spins, wincing at Bankrupts and tethering exuberant winners.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 13 June 2023
Ripa—expertly self-deprecatory, humble in the face of escalating absurdities—joshed that their attendance was a form of punishment, and instead courted the home viewer’s attention.
—Troy Patterson, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2020
Last June, at an annual gathering of military bigwigs in Singapore, France’s defence minister joshed her British counterpart by pointing out that the previous year both had vied to send more frigates to the Shangri-La Dialogue than the other.
—The Economist, 14 Nov. 2019
Verb
The family joshing and loving is great fun here; both Liss and Montana are terrific, live-wire young performers, thanks surely in part to Alex Mallory’s direction, and Rifai has given them a banquet of vibrant lines.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2025
Hudson’s accordion seems to come strolling in from a sidewalk serenade to meet Helm’s amused, exasperated vocal, joshing him along with countermelodies, trills and wheezily encouraging chords.
—Jon Pareles, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Elwood experiences some of the usual rigors of prison and reform school: the bullying, the joshing around, the discipline, the abuse.
—K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
Bale, speaking in a bland, hollow voice that has the slightest hint of frat-boy joshing, delivers a piece of polished, satiric archness that goes well beyond the obvious allegorical gag (capitalism = murder) into ... what, exactly?
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024
The movie’s best moments are the ones in which Mary and Paul camp out in front of the TV, drinking whiskey and joshing each other well into the wee hours.
—Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2023
For over four decades, since taking over from Chuck Woolery, Sajak has been at that spot, joshing with Vanna White, heaving the wheel on final spins, wincing at Bankrupts and tethering exuberant winners.
—James Poniewozik, New York Times, 13 June 2023
Ripa—expertly self-deprecatory, humble in the face of escalating absurdities—joshed that their attendance was a form of punishment, and instead courted the home viewer’s attention.
—Troy Patterson, The New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2020
Last June, at an annual gathering of military bigwigs in Singapore, France’s defence minister joshed her British counterpart by pointing out that the previous year both had vied to send more frigates to the Shangri-La Dialogue than the other.
—The Economist, 14 Nov. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for josh
Noun
-
There’s lots of Easter eggs of all sorts, with dialogue, with jokes, with clothes.—
Mark Peikert,
IndieWire,
17 Feb. 2025
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His angle: joke about the very specific and very absurd elements of cycling, snowboarding, and getting outdoors.—
Frederick Dreier,
Outside Online,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Starting today, February 12, 2025, Android customers can watch Apple TV+ on their mobile devices — phones, tablets, and foldables, whatever those are (just kidding, this is what those are).—
Tony Maglio,
IndieWire,
12 Feb. 2025
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Finally, Mack’s precocious 11-year-old daughter Opal (Norah Murphy) is more in tune with adults than kids her age.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The middle-school laughs made Isaiah Stewart feel uneasy.—
Hunter Patterson,
The Athletic,
17 Feb. 2025
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The biggest laughs were earned by Murphy, who did an impression of Morgan, while Morgan played a man named Darius and Jones played a woman named Shanice.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
17 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The thought that Sam Riley’s Tom might turn out to be Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity or John Garfield in The Postman Always Rings Twice is tantalizing but gradually appears to be more like teasing misdirection as the movie shifts into psychodrama gear.—
David Rooney,
The Hollywood Reporter,
16 Feb. 2025
-
Leighton, who played Sydney Andrews in the show, also teased what viewers could expect from the new series.—
Erin Clack,
People.com,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The most comprehensive sally, of course, is the administration’s drastic and abrupt cut in funding by the National Institutes of Health.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Feb. 2025
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Most recently, the Kremlin has settled on a strategy that involves legal sallies against international digital companies—including Apple, Facebook, Google, and Twitter.—
Andrei Soldatov,
Foreign Affairs,
3 Nov. 2015
Noun
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Known for their unique burgers, including their Mesa Verde Ranch yak burger, The Farm Bistro sources as much as possible from Montezuma County’s agricultural community.—
Jennifer Broome,
The Denver Post,
11 Feb. 2025
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The store in October launched the Labo collection featuring elevated basics made from refined materials such as yak wool and cashmere.—
Sharon Edelson,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Josh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/josh. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.
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