as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
the senator deftly inserted some smart one-liners into an otherwise sober speech
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of one-liner
This is a straight-up revenge saga, with Statham as a father out to wreak havoc on the men who killed his teenage son, and the movie, after a jokey stage-setting intro, mostly eschews Ritchie’s usual quips and one-liners.
—
Will Leitch, Vulture, 27 May 2025
My offshoring started innocently enough: a one-liner article here and there, usually one on a short deadline.
—Air Mail, 24 May 2025
Nobody’s got the snappy, lethal one-liner in their bag yet.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 25 May 2025
The reality star, 19, became an early rising star for her quippy one-liners and rambunctious persona on TLC's Toddlers & Tiaras.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for one-liner
Will Leitch, Vulture, 27 May 2025
My offshoring started innocently enough: a one-liner article here and there, usually one on a short deadline.
—Air Mail, 24 May 2025
Nobody’s got the snappy, lethal one-liner in their bag yet.
—Shelby Stewart, Essence, 25 May 2025
The reality star, 19, became an early rising star for her quippy one-liners and rambunctious persona on TLC's Toddlers & Tiaras.
—Esther Kang, People.com, 24 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for one-liner
Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-liner
Noun
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The site’s users took great joy in watching the feud in real time, responding to the showdown between the president and the world’s wealthiest man with jokes and memes.—
Dani Di Placido,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2025
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Surrounded by her animals at home, Lin watched re-runs of The Big Bang Theory, practicing the cadence of the words, the rising sound of a joke, the pacing of each phrase.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 June 2025
Noun
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There are a lot of fun moments during the annual Big Slick weekend in Kansas City, and the laughs are shared by the celebrities who take part as well as the audience at the softball game and the gala.—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
5 June 2025
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If a client senses that every friendly laugh and personal anecdote was just bait on the hook, the entire relationship collapses into a transaction.—
Alexander Puutio,
Forbes.com,
4 June 2025
Noun
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The witticism, sometimes misattributed to James Baldwin, began to spread a few months into the coronavirus pandemic, as the shock of mass layoffs started to give way to broader dissatisfaction with work.—
Lora Kelley,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2025
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His frequent presence in lecture halls advanced him as one of America’s earliest stand-up comedians, and many of his wry witticisms, whether they were written or performed, remain part of the public conversation.—
Danny Heitman,
Christian Science Monitor,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“One-liner.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/one-liner. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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