I. ˈjōk noun
( -s )
Etymology: Latin jocus jest, joke, game; akin to Old Saxon gehan to say, speak, Old High German gehan, jehan to say, speak, Middle Welsh ieith language, Tocharian A & B yask- to demand, beg, Sanskrit yācati he implores; basic meaning: speaking
1.
a. : something said or done to amuse or provoke laughter : something funny or humorous
a tune which can be played backward — a ~ — Edward Sackville-West
the use of primarily visual jokes — Current Biography
especially : a brief usually oral narrative designed to provoke laughter and typically having a climactic humorous twist or denouement
had a great fund of off-color jokes
b.
(1) : the spirit of humor or raillery in which something is said or done
knew they were meant in joke — James Jones
(2) : the humorous or ridiculous element in something
the joke of it was that the matter was so entirely his own choice — S.E.White
(3) : laughter , raillery , kidding — often used in the phrase take a joke
the most valuable thing she taught me was to take a joke — Polly Adler
c. : practical joke
mustn't play jokes on poor old ladies
d. : a person or thing that is the object of laughter or ridicule : laughingstock
why, he's the joke of the whole town
was still … a national joke — Van Wyck Brooks
2.
a. : something lacking substance, genuineness, or quality : something not to be taken seriously : a trivial or trifling matter
palaces and haunts … in which the state religion is a joke — Ray Alan
consider his skiing a joke — Harold Callender
— often used in negative construction
it is no joke … to encounter week after week a player of settled reputation — Bernard Darwin
b. : something presenting no difficulty : something accomplished with ridiculous ease
that exam was a joke
Synonyms:
joke , jest , jape , quip , witticism , wisecrack , crack , gag can mean, in common, a remark, story, or action intended to evoke laughter. joke , when applied to a story or remark, suggests something designed to promote good humor, especially an anecdote with a humorous twist at the end; when applied to an action, it often signifies a practical joke, usually suggesting a fooling or deceiving of someone at his expense, generally though not necessarily good humored in intent
everyone knows the old joke, that “black horses eat more than white horses”, a puzzling condition which is finally cleared up by the statement that “there are more black horses” — W.J.Reilly
issues had become a hopeless muddle and national politics a biennial joke — Dixon Wecter
a child hiding mother's pocketbook as a joke
the whole tale turns out to be a monstrous joke, a deception of matchless cruelty — B.R.Redman
jest , now literary or affected, in an older sense still connotes raillery or sarcasm but generally today suggests humor that is light and sportive, as banter
continually … making a jest of his ignorance — J.D.Beresford
won fame by jests at the foibles of his time, but … his pen was more playful than caustic — S.T.Williams & J.A.Pollard
jape , usually of literary occurrence, originally signified an amusing anecdote but today is identical with jest or joke
the merry japes of fundamentally irresponsible young men — Edmund Fuller
the japes about sex still strike me as being prurient rather than funny — John McCarten
quip suggests a quick, neatly turned, witty remark
full of wise saws and homely illustrations, the epigram, the quip, the jest — B.N.Cardozo
many quips at the expense of individuals and their villages — Margaret Mead
enlivened their reviews with quips — W.H.Dunham
witticism is a bookish and wisecrack or crack the more general term for a clever or witty, especially a biting or sarcastic, remark, generally a retort
all the charming witticisms of English lecturers — Eric Sevareid
a vicious witticism at the expense of a political opponent
merely strolls by, makes a goofy wisecrack or screwball suggestion — Hugh Humphrey
though the gravity of the situation forbade their utterance, I was thinking of at least three priceless cracks I could make — P.G.Wodehouse
gag , orig. in this connection and still signifying an interpolated joke or laugh-provoking piece of business, more generally today applies to any remark, story, or piece of business considered funny, especially one written into a theatrical, movie, radio, or television script, and sometimes has extended its meaning to signify any trick whether funny or not but usually one considered foolish
gags grown venerable in the service of the music halls — Times Literary Supplement
the gag was not meant to be entirely funny — Newsweek
gave a party the other night and pulled a really constructive gag … had every guest in the place vaccinated against smallpox — Hollywood Reporter
a frivolous person, given to gags and foolishness
II. verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Latin jocari, from jocus
intransitive verb
: to make jokes : say or do something as a joke : jest
joked about the possibility of … lead poisoning due to bullets — Morris Fishbein
transitive verb
1. : to make jokes upon : poke fun at : kid , banter
beginning to joke him a bit about a nice young lady — Ethel Wilson
2. : to obtain by joking
joke a beggar's penny out of you — Robert Lynd