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⇱ joke - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

joke

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈdʒəʊk/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/dʒoʊk/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling( jōk)

Inflections of 'joke' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
jokes
v 3rd person singular
joking
v pres p
joked
v past
joked
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
joke /dʒoʊk/USA pronunciation   n., v., joked, jok•ing. 
n. [countable]
  1. a short, humorous story with a word or phrase that ends it and causes laughter.
  2. something amusing or ridiculous:thought the whole episode was a joke.
  3. something not taken seriously:That law is just a joke: no one obeys it.
  4. no joke, a matter of great seriousness:That loss we took was no joke.[it + be + ~]It's no joke exercising every day on that sore leg.

v. [no object]
  1. to speak or act in a playful or merry way:He was joking around instead of working.
  2. to say something in fun or teasing:I was only joking.
jok•ey, jok•y, adj., -i•er, -i•est. 
jok•ing•ly, adv. 

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
joke  ( jōk),USA pronunciation n., v., joked, jok•ing. 
n. 
  1. something said or done to provoke laughter or cause amusement, as a witticism, a short and amusing anecdote, or a prankish act:He tells very funny jokes. She played a joke on him.
  2. something that is amusing or ridiculous, esp. because of being ludicrously inadequate or a sham;
    a thing, situation, or person laughed at rather than taken seriously;
    farce:Their pretense of generosity is a joke. An officer with no ability to command is a joke.
  3. a matter that need not be taken very seriously;
    trifling matter:The loss was no joke.
  4. something that does not present the expected challenge;
    something very easy:The test was a joke for the whole class.
  5. See practical joke. 

v.i. 
  1. to speak or act in a playful or merry way:He was always joking with us.
  2. to say something in fun or teasing rather than in earnest;
    be facetious:He didn't really mean it, he was only joking.

v.t. 
  1. to subject to jokes;
    make fun of;
    tease.
  2. to obtain by joking:The comedian joked coins from the audience.
  • Latin jocus jest
  • 1660–70
joke′less, adj. 
jok′ing•ly, adv. 
    1. wisecrack, gag, jape, prank, quip, quirk, sally, raillery. Joke, jest refer to something said (or done) in sport, or to cause amusement. A joke is something said or done for the sake of exciting laughter; it may be raillery, a witty remark, or a prank or trick:to tell a joke.Jest, today a more formal word, nearly always refers to joking language and is more suggestive of scoffing or ridicule than is joke:to speak in jest.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
joke /dʒəʊk/ n
  1. a humorous anecdote
  2. something that is said or done for fun; prank
  3. a ridiculous or humorous circumstance
  4. a person or thing inspiring ridicule or amusement; butt
  5. joking apart ⇒ seriously: said to recall a discussion to seriousness after there has been joking
  6. no joke ⇒ something very serious
 vb
  1. (intransitive) to tell jokes
  2. (intransitive) to speak or act facetiously or in fun
  3. to make fun of (someone); tease; kid
Etymology: 17th Century: from Latin jocus a jestˈjokingly adv
'joke' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: a [funny, mean, good, bad, terrible] joke, joke about [him, the boss, his actions], at a joke shop, more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "joke" in the title:

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Look up "joke" at Merriam-Webster
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