as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
a close-knit family constantly exchanging lighthearted joshes at the dinner table
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
2
as in to joke
to make jokes
a very outgoing man who joshes with everyone he meets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of josh
Jessica Kiang, Variety, 27 May 2025
See which companies are just joshing on social media — and which one has a real deal for you!
—Brendan Le, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
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
Verb
Anatole is a painter, an artform which photographer Lucien good-naturedly joshes him will soon be obsolete.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 27 May 2025
See which companies are just joshing on social media — and which one has a real deal for you!
—Brendan Le, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for josh
Noun
-
Chinese officials in the eastern province of Zhejiang have put stand-up comics on notice to avoid jokes that could fuel resentment between the sexes.—
Micah McCartney,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 July 2025
-
Buddusky tries to fill the room with noise, jokes, bluster.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 July 2025
Verb
-
For the most part, though, these tools have been aimed at parents or educators, not kids themselves.—
Lila Shroff,
The Atlantic,
14 July 2025
-
Apparently Brooks Nader wasn’t kidding about that, because on July 8 she was spotted freeing the nipple in a sheer black top on a dinner date with friend Lauren Sanchez in Paris, per photos published by the Daily Mail.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Glamour,
9 July 2025
Noun
-
Watch the scene where the three men stop at a bar in D.C. Meadows laughs for the first time — a shy, honest laugh.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
24 July 2025
-
Nixon’s spirit drew appreciative laughs from the crowd throughout the competition.—
Calista Oetama,
Sacbee.com,
23 July 2025
Verb
-
The ending might seem pleasingly final, but watch for a predictable and quite unnecessary post-credits sting that sets up the Fantastic Four’s return with a cliffhanger and teases the return of a very familiar character.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
22 July 2025
-
Interestingly, Google is also teasing new offers for the Pixel 10.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
22 July 2025
Noun
-
Prices of stocks and bonds, along with long-term interest rates, have oscillated up and down in response to the daily verbal sallies from the White House.—
Edward Lotterman,
Twin Cities,
27 Apr. 2025
-
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
Noun
-
There were also yaks, deer, buffalo, camels, a kangaroo, ostriches, eight monkeys, six raccoons, two grizzly bears, black bears, brown bears, seals, lions, an old tiger, a blind hyena, a circus elephant, an alligator and 400 birds, including a talking crow.—
Jeff Suess,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
-
More than 500 of them, in fact, from native whitetail deer to yaks, scimitar oryx, and water buffalo.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
28 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Josh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/josh. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share