as in prank
a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke
friends had left the risqué message on his voice mail as a practical joke
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Recent Examples of practical joke
Editor’s picks Looked at in the context of Lynch’s larger career — among the most remarkable in film history, but also among the most idiosyncratic — such wide-sweeping popularity almost feels like a practical joke by the universe on David Lynch, or perhaps vice versa.
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Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2025
Ernie Ernie is known for his playful, free-spirited nature and his love for practical jokes, especially at the expense of his best friend, Bert.
—Casey Clark, Parents, 16 Jan. 2025
Some guessed that excessive Taser incidents could be officers fiddling with the weapons out of boredom or sparking them as a practical joke.
—Nate Rosenfield, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2025
The constant attention, however, soon became overwhelming for the family, with some fans taking things too far with practical jokes related to the show.
—Gil MacIas, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for practical joke
Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 16 Jan. 2025
Ernie Ernie is known for his playful, free-spirited nature and his love for practical jokes, especially at the expense of his best friend, Bert.
—Casey Clark, Parents, 16 Jan. 2025
Some guessed that excessive Taser incidents could be officers fiddling with the weapons out of boredom or sparking them as a practical joke.
—Nate Rosenfield, New York Times, 14 Jan. 2025
The constant attention, however, soon became overwhelming for the family, with some fans taking things too far with practical jokes related to the show.
—Gil MacIas, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for practical joke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for practical joke
Noun
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During their chat, the conversation turned to some of their less savory SNL jokes, including pranks behind the scenes.—
Victoria Edel,
People.com,
20 June 2025
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Spring break is around the corner, and every parent knows the challenge of keeping kids entertained without resorting to handing over their smartphone for an endless scroll of prank videos.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
15 June 2025
Noun
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However, there is a trick for using both of these operations together.—
Paul Smith-Goodson,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
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Thalberg was a wunderkind, and one of the tricks of being a wunderkind is to leverage a youthful aura—selling the Kind to increase the Wunder.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Noun
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The two men got into several heated spats over age, experience and personal integrity during this week’s second and final candidates’ debate on Thursday.—
Emma Seiwell,
New York Daily News,
14 June 2025
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Hartford Courant Juneteenth Jamboree in New Haven Friday, June 20, 7 p.m. at the Alexander Clark Stage on the New Haven Green Jumpstart your two-week Festival experience with a performance that pays homage to the Juneteenth holiday and celebrates our collective dedication to harmony and truth!—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
14 June 2025
Noun
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Strolling through farmers’ markets, exploring new cities, and more summer adventures call for supportive footwear. Luckily, Amazon just dropped the price of the SDolphin Running Shoes to as little as $42.—
Isabel Garcia,
People.com,
14 June 2025
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The original 2010 adventure is a spectacular tale of Viking teen Hiccup and his best dragon friend Toothless.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Practical joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/practical%20joke. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.
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