1
a
: something said or done to provoke laughter
especially
: a brief oral narrative with a climactic humorous twist
b(1)
: the humorous or ridiculous element in something
(2)
: an instance of jesting : kidding
can't take a joke
c
d
2
: something not to be taken seriously : a trifling matter
consider his skiing a joke—
Harold Callender
—often used in negative constructionsHarold Callenderit is no joke to be lost in the desert
Examples of joke in a Sentence
Noun
She meant it as a joke, but many people took her seriously.
They played a harmless joke on him.
They are always making jokes about his car.
I heard a funny joke yesterday.
the punch line of a joke
I didn't get the joke.
That exam was a joke.
Their product became a joke in the industry.
He's in danger of becoming a national joke.
Verb
My friends would joke about the uniform I had to wear at work.
She joked about the possibility of losing her job.
I thought he was joking when he said he might quit, but it turned out that he really meant it.
Don't take it seriously: I was only joking.
She spent a few minutes joking with reporters after giving her speech.
She joked that she could always get work as a truck driver if she lost her job.
Recent Examples on the Web
Arkansas Online, 24 July 2025
Sketching swastikas and 'edgy' jokes: Idaho shooter not typical loner
Who is Wess Roley?
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 24 July 2025
Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
The Coldplay camera video has been joked about by other artists, including Liam Gallagher who said cheaters would be safe at Oasis’ shows.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for joke
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Noun
Buddusky tries to fill the room with noise, jokes, bluster.
—Arkansas Online, 24 July 2025
Sketching swastikas and 'edgy' jokes: Idaho shooter not typical loner
Who is Wess Roley?
—Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 24 July 2025
Verb
The episode also mentioned the controversy over the ongoing fallout over the Jeffrey Epstein list and joked about CBS and Paramount recent announcement that Stephen Colbert's Late Show is to be cancelled.
—Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 July 2025
The Coldplay camera video has been joked about by other artists, including Liam Gallagher who said cheaters would be safe at Oasis’ shows.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for joke
Cite this Entry
“Joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/joke. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
joke
1 of 2 noun1
a
: something said or done to cause laughter
especially
: a brief story with a humorous twist
b
: the humorous element in something
c
: good-natured kidding
can't take a joke
2
: something not to be taken seriously
that exam was a joke
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