1
as in laugh
something said or done to cause laughter
he was known for his hilarious jokes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in parody
a poor, insincere, or insulting imitation of something
her rendition of the national anthem is a joke
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fool
a person or thing that is made fun of
having lost his looks and his voice years ago, these days he's just a show business joke and fodder for late-night comedy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to fun
to make jokes
he was known for his ability to joke about his lack of anything resembling a social life
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 joke
Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 10 July 2025
Mac's deeply closeted, Catholic-guilty homosexuality had been treated as a joke throughout the show's run, with the joke never truly being about Mac being gay, but about how his desperate repression had twisted him into a caricature of grasping masculinity.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 10 July 2025
Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 10 July 2025
On a talk show before his suicide in 2014, Robin Williams joked about his addiction.
—Steve Garbarino, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for joke
Noun
That probably won't stop people making more jokes on social media, though.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 10 July 2025
Mac's deeply closeted, Catholic-guilty homosexuality had been treated as a joke throughout the show's run, with the joke never truly being about Mac being gay, but about how his desperate repression had twisted him into a caricature of grasping masculinity.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 10 July 2025
Verb
Jane Birkin, who passed away in 2023, once joked that her legacy would be forever tied to the iconic bag that bears her name.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 10 July 2025
On a talk show before his suicide in 2014, Robin Williams joked about his addiction.
—Steve Garbarino, HollywoodReporter, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for joke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joke
Noun
-
During the day out, the two took a dip in the pool and appeared to share laughs throughout the day.—
Starr Bowenbank,
People.com,
11 July 2025
-
The two had several tough plays against one another, and shared plenty of laughs on the court.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
11 July 2025
Noun
-
Bud Light plans to run a parody of the series, which gives fans up-close looks at the seasons of top NFL quarterbacks, via social media.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
10 July 2025
-
His mask is a stitched thing — lipless, white, eerily smooth yet rugged — a grim parody of life.—
Daphne Woolsoncroft,
People.com,
8 July 2025
Noun
-
At best, Trantalis and Glassman are being played for fools.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
7 July 2025
-
Not even the streamers could provide a lot of new entertainment for us fools.—
Savannah Salazar,
Vulture,
5 July 2025
Verb
-
After teasing a trek earlier this week, Paul McCartney has revealed that his Got Back Tour will return to North America this fall, the Beatles legend’s first tour stateside in four years.—
Daniel Kreps,
Rolling Stone,
10 July 2025
-
The first step is a boot camp in a mountainous ski resort, where Karolina is teased by the other girls and gets so much preferential treatment from Vitek that Lucie, enraged, locks her outside in the snow and nearly kills her in the process.—
Damon Wise,
Deadline,
10 July 2025
Noun
-
Many of Kidman’s better wigs are blonde or shoulder length, but this unfortunately doesn’t ring true for the HBO movie Hemingway & Gellhorn, which stars Clive Owen as a caricature of Ernest Hemingway and a Golden Globe–nominated Kidman as his wife, the journalist Martha Gellhorn.—
Jihane Bousfiha,
Vulture,
2 July 2025
-
Despite this blanket ban on racist caricatures, the hateful Veo 3 videos appear to be spreading unchecked.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
2 July 2025
Noun
-
The business had also been the target of pro-Palestinian demonstrations in the past year.—
Rod McGuirk,
Sun Sentinel,
15 July 2025
-
The threat of 100% secondary tariffs alongside the bipartisan Graham-Blumenthal sanctions bill that targets Russian oil sales are the right targets.—
Daniel Fried,
Time,
15 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
-
Instead of giving a speech about why Chicken George should use the Veto to save him, season 2 winner Dr. Will Kirby took the opportunity to famously shade his fellow all-star houseguests in an eloquent, devilish speech, which elicited giggles and confusion from the rest of the players.—
Christopher Rudolph,
People.com,
5 July 2025
-
Monday morning, the rotunda was filled with giggles and chatter as the young persimmon promoters entered the capitol.—
Anna Cecil,
IndyStar,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joke. Accessed 20 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share