Adjacent Words

Jest definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

JEST, n. [L. gestio.]
1. A joke; something ludicrous uttered and meant only to excite laughter. Religion should never be the subject of jest.
2. The object of laughter or sport; a laughing stock.
Then let me be your jest, I deserve it.
In jest, for mere sport or diversion; not in truth and reality; not in earnest.
--And given in earnest what I begged in jest.
3. A mask.
4. A deed; an action.
JEST', v.i. To divert or make merry by words or actions; to joke.
Jest not with a rude man, lest thy ancestors be disgraced.
1. To utter in sport; to say what is not true,merely for diversion.
2. To play a part in a mask.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter; "he told a very funny joke"; "he knows a million gags"; "thanks for the laugh"; "he laughed unpleasantly at his own jest"; "even a schoolboy's jape is supposed to have some ascertainable point" [syn: joke, gag, laugh, jest, jape]
2: activity characterized by good humor [syn: jest, joke, jocularity] v
1: tell a joke; speak humorously; "He often jokes even when he appears serious" [syn: joke, jest]
2: act in a funny or teasing way [syn: joke, jest]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English geste idle tale, story in verse, from Anglo-French, deed, action, narrative, from Latin gesta deeds, from neuter plural of gestus, past participle of gerere to bear, wage Date: circa 1548 1. an utterance (as a jeer or quip) intended to be taken as mockery or humor 2. a. prank b. a ludicrous circumstance or incident 3. a. a frivolous mood or manner <spoken in jest> b. gaiety and merriment 4. laughingstock Synonyms: see fun • jest verb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a a joke. b fun. 2 a raillery, banter. b an object of derision (a standing jest). --v.intr. 1 joke; make jests. 2 fool about; play or act triflingly. Phrases and idioms: in jest in fun. Derivatives: jestful adj. Etymology: orig. = exploit, f. OF geste f. L gesta neut. pl. past part. of gerere do

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Jest Jest, n. [OE. jeste, geste, deed, action, story, tale, OF. geste, LL. gesta, orig., exploits, neut. pl. from L. gestus, p. p. of gerere to bear, carry, accomplish, perform; perh. orig., to make to come, bring, and perh. akin to E. come. Cf. Gest a deed, Register, n.] 1. A deed; an action; a gest. [Obs.] The jests or actions of princes. --Sir T. Elyot. 2. A mask; a pageant; an interlude. [Obs.] --Nares. He promised us, in honor of our guest, To grace our banquet with some pompous jest. --Kyd. 3. Something done or said in order to amuse; a joke; a witticism; a jocose or sportive remark or phrase. See Synonyms under Jest, v. i. I must be sad . . . smile at no man's jests. --Shak. The Right Honorable gentleman is indebted to his memory for his jests, and to his imagination for his facts. --Sheridan. 4. The object of laughter or sport; a laughingstock. Then let me be your jest; I deserve it. --Shak. In jest, for mere sport or diversion; not in truth and reality; not in earnest. And given in earnest what I begged in jest. --Shak. Jest book, a book containing a collection of jests, jokes, and amusing anecdotes; a Joe Miller.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Jest Jest, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Jested; p. pr. & vb. n. Jesting.] 1. To take part in a merrymaking; -- especially, to act in a mask or interlude. [Obs.] --Shak. 2. To make merriment by words or actions; to joke; to make light of anything. He jests at scars that never felt a wound. --Shak. Syn: To joke; sport; rally. Usage: To Jest, Joke. One jests in order to make others laugh; one jokes to please himself. A jest is usually at the expense of another, and is often ill-natured; a joke is a sportive sally designed to promote good humor without wounding the feelings of its object. ``Jests are, therefore, seldom harmless; jokes frequently allowable. The most serious subject may be degraded by being turned into a jest.'' --Crabb.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(jests, jesting, jested) 1. A jest is something that you say that is intended to be amusing. (FORMAL) It was a jest rather than a reproach... = joke N-COUNT • If you say something in jest, you do not mean it seriously, but want to be amusing. Don't say that, even in jest... ? seriously PHRASE: PHR after v 2. If you jest, you tell jokes or say amusing things. (FORMAL) He enjoyed drinking and jesting with his cronies... = joke VERB: V

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. Joke, crack a joke, perpetrate a joke. II. n. 1. Joke, quip, quirk, crank, witticism, sally, jeu d'esprit. 2. Raillery, fun, sport.

Moby Thesaurus

Parthian shot, a continental, a curse, a damn, a darn, a hoot, back answer, badinage, bagatelle, banter, bauble, be merry with, bean, belly laugh, bibelot, bit, blue story, brass farthing, butt, button, byword, byword of reproach, caustic remark, cent, chaff, comeback, crack, crack a joke, crack wise, curio, cut, cutting remark, derision, dig, dirty joke, dirty story, double entendre, drollery, dump, dupe, ethnic joke, exchange, fair game, farce, farthing, feather, fig, figure of fun, fleabite, fleer, fleer at, flout, folderol, fool, foolery, fooling, fooling around, fribble, frippery, fun, funny story, gag, game, gaud, gazingstock, gewgaw, gibe, gibe at, gibing retort, gimcrack, gird, give-and-take, goat, good one, good story, good-natured banter, hair, halfpenny, harmless teasing, haze, hill of beans, howler, jab, jape, jeer, jestbook, jestingstock, jive, joke, jolly, josh, kickshaw, kid, kid around, kidding, kidding around, knickknack, knickknackery, laugh, laughingstock, leg-pull, make a funny, make fun, make fun of, minikin, mock, mockery, molehill, monkey, needle, panic, parting shot, peppercorn, persiflage, picayune, pilgarlic, pin, pinch of snuff, pinprick, play, play on words, pleasantry, point, poke fun at, pun, put on, put-down, put-on, quip, rag, raillery, rally, rallying, rap, razz, red cent, rib, rib tickler, ride, ridicule, riot, roast, row of pins, rude reproach, rush, scintillate, scoff, scoff at, scream, scurrility, shit, short answer, sick joke, sidesplitter, sight gag, slam, slap, snap, sneeshing, sou, sparkle, sport, stock, story, straw, swipe, target, taunt, tease, toy, trifle, trinket, triviality, tuppence, twit, two cents, twopence, utter a mot, verbal thrust, victim, visual joke, waggery, wheeze, whim-wham, wisecrack, witticism, wow, yak, yarn