joke

noun

Something said or done for amusement, not in seriousness.

An amusing story.

(figuratively) A laughably worthless thing or person; a sham.

(figuratively) Something that is far easier or far less challenging than expected.

(figuratively) The root cause or main issue, especially an unexpected one

verb

(intransitive) To do or say something for amusement rather than seriously.

(intransitive, followed by with) To dupe in a friendly manner for amusement; to mess with, play with.

(transitive, dated) To make merry with; to make jokes upon; to rally.

Roots

iocusjok- · Latin · joke, jest

Synonyms for joke

jestn japen laughn prankn jocularityn wisecrackn gagn quipn waggeryn drolleryn kiddingn humorousnessn witticismn mockeryn bantern badinagen anticadj railleryn

Synonyms & related words for joke

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of joke — including jest, jape, laugh, prank, jocularity, wisecrack. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to joke

Explore words related to joke — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include punchline, waggishly, jokester, rident, japery, jokey, quipster, jokily. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for joke

Common synonyms for joke include jest, jape, laugh, prank, jocularity, wisecrack, gag, quip — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does joke come from?

The word joke breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root jok-, from Latin iocus (“joke, jest”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.