Adjacent Words

Joke definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

JOKE, n. [L. jocus.]
1. A jest; something said for the sake of exciting a laugh; something witty or sportive; raillery. A jealous person will rarely bear a joke.
2. An illusion; something not real, or to no purpose.
Inclose whole downs in walls,'tis all a joke!
In joke, in jest; for the sake of raising a laugh; not in earnest.
JOKE, v.i. [L. jocor.] To jest; to be merry in words or actions.
JOKE, v.t. To rally; to cast jokes at; to make merry with.

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]
3: a ludicrous or grotesque act done for fun and amusement [syn: antic, joke, prank, trick, caper, put-on]
4: a triviality not to be taken seriously; "I regarded his campaign for mayor as a joke" 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

I. noun Etymology: Latin jocus; perhaps akin to Old High German gehan to say, Sanskrit y?cati he asks Date: 1670 1. a. something said or done to provoke laughter; especially a brief oral narrative with a climactic humorous twist b. (1) the humorous or ridiculous element in something (2) an instance of jesting ; kidding <can't take a joke> c. practical joke d. laughingstock 2. something not to be taken seriously ; a trifling matter <consider his skiing a joke — Harold Callender> — often used in negative constructions <it is no joke to be lost in the desert> II. verb (joked; joking) Date: 1670 intransitive verb to make jokes ; jest transitive verb to make the object of a joke ; kid • jokingly adverb

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a a thing said or done to excite laughter. b a witticism or jest. 2 a ridiculous thing, person, or circumstance. --v. 1 intr. make jokes. 2 tr. poke fun at; banter. Phrases and idioms: no joke colloq. a serious matter. Derivatives: jokingly adv. joky adj. (also jokey). jokily adv. jokiness n. Etymology: 17th c. (joque), orig. sl.: perh. f. L jocus jest

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Joke Joke, n. [L. jocus. Cf Jeopardy, Jocular, Juggler.] 1. Something said for the sake of exciting a laugh; something witty or sportive (commonly indicating more of hilarity or humor than jest); a jest; a witticism; as, to crack good-natured jokes. And gentle dullness ever loves a joke. --Pope. Or witty joke our airy senses moves To pleasant laughter. --Gay. 2. Something not said seriously, or not actually meant; something done in sport. Inclose whole downs in walls, 't is all a joke. --Pope. In joke, in jest; sportively; not meant seriously. Practical joke. See under Practical.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Joke Joke, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Joked; p. pr. & vb. n. Joking.] To make merry with; to make jokes upon; to rally; to banter; as, to joke a comrade.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Joke Joke, v. i. [L. jocari.] To do something for sport, or as a joke; to be merry in words or actions; to jest. He laughed, shouted, joked, and swore. --Macaulay. Syn: To jest; sport; rally; banter. See Jest.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(jokes, joking, joked) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A joke is something that is said or done to make you laugh, for example a funny story. He debated whether to make a joke about shooting rabbits, but decided against it... No one told worse jokes than Claus. N-COUNT: oft N about n 2. If you joke, you tell funny stories or say amusing things. She would joke about her appearance... Lorna was laughing and joking with Trevor... The project was taking so long that Stephen joked that it would never be finished... 'Well, a beautiful spring Thursday would probably be a nice day to be buried on,' Nancy joked. VERB: V about n, V with n, V that, V with quote 3. A joke is something untrue that you tell another person in order to amuse yourself. It was probably just a joke to them, but it wasn't funny to me. N-COUNT 4. If you joke, you tell someone something that is not true in order to amuse yourself. Don't get defensive, Charlie. I was only joking... 'I wish you made as much fuss of me,' Vera joked. VERB: V, V with quote 5. If you say that something or someone is a joke, you think they are ridiculous and do not deserve respect. (INFORMAL) It's ridiculous, it's pathetic, it's a joke... N-SING: a N [disapproval] 6. If you say that an annoying or worrying situation is beyond a joke, you are emphasizing that it is worse than you think is fair or reasonable. (BRIT) I'm not afraid of a fair fight but this is beginning to get beyond a joke. PHRASE: v-link PHR, PHR after v [emphasis] 7. If you make a joke of something, you laugh at it even though it is in fact rather serious or sad. I wish I had your courage, Michael, to make a joke of it like that. PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n 8. If you describe a situation as no joke, you are emphasizing that it is very difficult or unpleasant. (INFORMAL) Two hours on a bus is no joke, is it. PHRASE: v-link PHR [emphasis] 9. If you say that the joke is on a particular person, you mean that they have been made to look very foolish by something. 'For once,' he said, 'the joke's on me. And it's not very funny.' PHRASE: V inflects, PHR n 10. If you say that someone cannot take a joke, you are criticizing them for getting upset or angry at something you think is funny. 'What's the matter with you, Simon?' Curly said. 'Can't you take a joke?' PHRASE: V inflects [disapproval] 11. You say you're joking or you must be joking to someone when they have just told you something that is so surprising or unreasonable that you find it difficult to believe. (SPOKEN) One hundred and forty quid for a pair of headphones, you've got to be joking! CONVENTION [feelings]

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. Jest, quip, quirk, crank, witticism, sally, jeu d'esprit. II. v. a. Jest, crack a joke, perpetrate a joke.

Foolish Dictionary

A form of humor enjoyed by some and misunderstood by most; in England, requiring a diagram, raised letters and a club.

Moby Thesaurus

a continental, a curse, a damn, a darn, a hoot, absurdity, anecdote, antic, badinage, bagatelle, banter, bauble, be merry with, bean, belly laugh, bibelot, bijouterie, bit, blue story, bon mot, brass farthing, buffoon, burlesque, butt, button, byword, byword of reproach, caper, caricature, cent, chaff, crack, crack a joke, crack wise, curio, derision, dido, dirty joke, dirty story, double entendre, drollery, dupe, ethnic joke, exchange, facetiousness, fair game, farce, farthing, feather, fig, figure of fun, fleabite, fleer at, folderol, fool, fooling, fooling around, fribble, frippery, frolic, fun, funny story, gag, game, gaud, gazingstock, gewgaw, gibe at, gimcrack, give-and-take, goat, good one, good story, good-natured banter, hair, halfpenny, harmless teasing, haze, hill of beans, howler, humor, humorousness, jape, jest, jestbook, jestingstock, jive, jocoseness, jocularity, jolly, josh, kickshaw, kid, kid around, kidding, kidding around, knickknack, knickknackery, laugh, laughingstock, make a funny, make fun, make fun of, minikin, mock, mockery, molehill, monkey, monkeyshine, needle, panic, parody, peppercorn, persiflage, picayune, pilgarlic, pin, pinch of snuff, pinprick, play, play on words, pleasantry, point, poke fun at, prank, pun, put on, quip, quiz, rag, raillery, rally, rallying, rap, razz, red cent, repartee, rib, rib tickler, ride, ridicule, riot, roast, row of pins, rush, sally, sarcasm, scintillate, scoff at, scream, shit, sick joke, sidesplitter, sight gag, snap, sneeshing, sou, sparkle, sport, stock, story, straw, target, taunt, tease, toy, travesty, trifle, trinket, triviality, tuppence, twit, two cents, twopence, utter a mot, victim, visual joke, waggery, wheeze, whim-wham, wisecrack, wit, witticism, wittiness, wordplay, wow, yak, yarn