as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
the senator deftly inserted some smart one-liners into an otherwise sober speech
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of one-liner
To be clear, that’s about as explicitly gay as One of Them Days gets, aside from a nervous one-liner about how Dreux doesn’t like men.
—
James Factora, Them, 17 Jan. 2025
That was the one-liner being trotted out by some club staff keen to underline how much of a coup his signature was.
—Beren Cross, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025
In a signature segment, the Joke Wall, performers in mod regalia poked their heads out of holes in a set, like cuckoos emerging from a clock, and spouted one-liners.
—Susan Morrison, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
This show should add extra money to the pot for each brilliant one-liner delivered at a roundtable.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for one-liner 
James Factora, Them, 17 Jan. 2025
That was the one-liner being trotted out by some club staff keen to underline how much of a coup his signature was.
—Beren Cross, The Athletic, 17 Jan. 2025
In a signature segment, the Joke Wall, performers in mod regalia poked their heads out of holes in a set, like cuckoos emerging from a clock, and spouted one-liners.
—Susan Morrison, The New Yorker, 13 Jan. 2025
This show should add extra money to the pot for each brilliant one-liner delivered at a roundtable.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 10 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for one-liner
Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-liner
Noun
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These shows are led by a cast of improv comedians, leading into the various personalities’ wit and humor over scripted jokes.—
Sara Belcher,
People.com,
24 Jan. 2025
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But the joke’s on me after his sweet touch and finish (above) at Manchester United in the Europa League last night.—
Phil Hay,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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After a few more laughs, Reynolds turned sentimental and shared some heartfelt words about Jackman.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
25 Jan. 2025
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My wife got a good laugh out of my fleeting optimism.—
Jon Greenberg,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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That is kind of a tongue-in-cheek witticism amongst those who do this for a living.—
Lance Eliot,
Forbes,
18 Dec. 2024
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Big as the performance is, Stiller isn’t alone: Writer-director-star Eric Schaeffer also pillages shamelessly from the Sundance playbook of whimsy, giving himself the lion’s share of irony-laden pickup lines and depressive witticisms about the pointlessness of romance.—
Sean Malin,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near one-liner
Cite this Entry
“One-liner.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/one-liner. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.
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