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Definitions

joke

[johk] / dʒoʊk /
NOUN
fun, quip
Synonyms
STRONGEST
antic farce gag humor laugh one-liner parody prank pun stunt trick wisecrack
STRONG
buffoonery burlesque caper caprice chestnut clowning drollery epigram escapade frolic game ha-ha hoodwinking horseplay jape jest lark mischief mummery payoff play pleasantry put on quirk raillery repartee revel sally saw shenanigan sport spree tomfoolery vagary whimsy witticism yarn
WEAK
bon mot monkeyshine shaggy-dog story snow job
Antonyms
STRONGEST
seriousness tragedy
STRONG
work
NOUN
person that is made fun of
Synonyms
STRONGEST
object of ridicule
STRONG
buffoon butt clown fool jackass laughingstock simpleton sport target
WEAK
derision jestee scapegoat
VERB
kid, tease
Synonyms
STRONGEST
banter laugh quip
STRONG
chaff deceive deride fool frolic fun gambol jape jest jive jolly josh mock needle play revel rib ridicule roast spoof sport taunt trick wisecrack
WEAK
horse around kid around make merry play the clown play tricks poke fun pull one's leg put on
Antonyms
STRONG
compliment flatter praise
WEAK
be serious

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

At one point, he riffs on George  Orwell's famous line that "every joke is a tiny revolution".

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

It’s a joke with its own Wikipedia page, one economists tell on economists, about being stuck on a deserted island with a can of food and no way open it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

There’s a joke in the special that references a purple toothbrush, but, and then there’s also a reference to my aura based on the fact that I’m cooking with shallots.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

"We are demanding a living wage now, because what Delcy Rodriguez said last night is a joke," Mariela Diaz, a 65-year-old retiree, declared.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

He thought of Fa: not Fa as he lay dying in the wreck of their shelter, but Fa as he’d been just before the bear attacked: laughing at the joke Torak had made.

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver