Library / English Dictionary

JOKE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

A ludicrous or grotesque act done for fun and amusement

Synonyms:

antic; caper; joke; prank; put-on; trick

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("joke" is a kind of...):

diversion; recreation (an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "joke"):

dirty trick (an unkind or aggressive trick)

practical joke (a prank or trick played on a person (especially one intended to make the victim appear foolish))

Derivation:

jokester (a person who enjoys telling or playing jokes)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Activity characterized by good humor

Synonyms:

jest; jocularity; joke

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("joke" is a kind of...):

diversion; recreation (an activity that diverts or amuses or stimulates)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "joke"):

drollery; waggery (a quaint and amusing jest)

leg-pull; leg-pulling (as a joke: trying to make somebody believe something that is not true)

pleasantry (an agreeable or amusing remark)

Derivation:

jocular (characterized by jokes and good humor)

joke (act in a funny or teasing way)

joke (tell a joke; speak humorously)

jokester (a person who enjoys telling or playing jokes)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A triviality not to be taken seriously

Example:

I regarded his campaign for mayor as a joke

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("joke" is a kind of...):

pettiness; puniness; slightness; triviality (the quality of being unimportant and petty or frivolous)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter

Example:

even a schoolboy's jape is supposed to have some ascertainable point

Synonyms:

gag; jape; jest; joke; laugh

Classified under:

Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents

Hypernyms ("joke" is a kind of...):

humor; humour; wit; witticism; wittiness (a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter)

Meronyms (parts of "joke"):

gag line; laugh line; punch line; tag line (the point of a joke or humorous story)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "joke"):

sight gag; visual joke (a joke whose effect is achieved by visual means rather than by speech (as in a movie))

sick joke (a joke in bad taste)

shaggy dog story (a long rambling joke whose humor derives from its pointlessness)

one-liner (a one-line joke)

in-joke (a joke that is appreciated only by members of some particular group of people)

funny; funny remark; funny story; good story (an account of an amusing incident (usually with a punch line))

ethnic joke (a joke at the expense of some ethnic group)

blue joke; blue story; dirty joke; dirty story (an indelicate joke)

belly laugh; howler; riot; scream; sidesplitter; thigh-slapper; wow (a joke that seems extremely funny)

Derivation:

jocular (characterized by jokes and good humor)

joke (act in a funny or teasing way)

joke (tell a joke; speak humorously)

jokester (a person who enjoys telling or playing jokes)

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Act in a funny or teasing way

Synonyms:

jest; joke

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Hypernyms (to "joke" is one way to...):

act; behave; do (behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "joke"):

antic; clown; clown around (act as or like a clown)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

joke (activity characterized by good humor)

joke (a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter)

joker (a person who enjoys telling or playing jokes)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Tell a joke; speak humorously

Example:

He often jokes even when he appears serious

Synonyms:

jest; joke

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "joke" is one way to...):

communicate; intercommunicate (transmit thoughts or feelings)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "joke"):

gag; quip (make jokes or quips)

arse around; fool; fool around; horse around (indulge in horseplay)

pun (make a play on words)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

joke (activity characterized by good humor)

joke (a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter)

joker (a person who enjoys telling or playing jokes)

Credits

 Context examples: 

It was no joke, as you will find to your cost.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

And thus she had some joke to crack upon every one: but she laughed more than all at a good king who was there.

(Fairy Tales, by The Brothers Grimm)

But this is not a practical joke.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

My grandfather was at that time the King of the Winged Monkeys which lived in the forest near Gayelette's palace, and the old fellow loved a joke better than a good dinner.

(The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by L. Frank Baum)

Brissenden looked upon the affair as a good joke, but he could not console Martin, who knew that it would be no easy task to explain to Ruth.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

“The joke,” he replied gravely, “seemed confined to you and Mr. Churchill.”

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

While she treated it as a joke, therefore, she did not forget to think of it seriously.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Would she take it as a joke?

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Poor soul! I am sure if I had had a notion of it, I would not have joked her about it for all my money.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

In truth, it was a joke to me, that I, the veriest landsman, should be filling the office of mate; but to be taken as a joke by others was a different matter.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)