n.
- Something said or done to evoke laughter or amusement, especially an amusing story with a punch line.
- A mischievous trick; a prank.
- An amusing or ludicrous incident or situation.
- Informal.
- Something not to be taken seriously; a triviality: The accident was no joke.
- An object of amusement or laughter; a laughingstock: His loud tie was the joke of the office.
v., joked, jok·ing, jokes. v.intr.
- To tell or play jokes; jest.
- To speak in fun; be facetious.
To make fun of; tease.
[Latin iocus.]
jokingly jok'ing·ly adv.SYNONYMS joke, jest, witticism, quip, sally, crack, wisecrack, gag. These nouns refer to something that is said or done in order to evoke laughter or amusement. Joke especially denotes an amusing story with a punch line at the end: told jokes at the party. Jest suggests frolicsome humor: amusing jests that defused the tense situation. A witticism is a witty, usually cleverly phrased remark: a speech full of witticisms. A quip is a clever, pointed, often sarcastic remark: responded to the tough questions with quips. Sally denotes a sudden quick witticism: ended the debate with a brilliant sally. Crack and wisecrack refer less formally to flippant or sarcastic retorts: made a crack about my driving ability; punished for making wisecracks in class. Gag is principally applicable to a broadly comic remark or to comic by-play in a theatrical routine: one of the most memorable gags in the history of vaudeville.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
