joke
joke — noun
1. a short funny story, a clever remark, or a playful action that a person says or
a short funny story, a clever remark, or a playful action that a person says or does to make other people laugh.
Saira told a funny joke about a parrot and a pirate at the party.
tell + joke + about [topic]
The comedian's joke about traffic jams made the whole audience laugh out loud.
joke + about [topic]
Kenji played a practical joke by hiding his brother's phone in a loaf of bread.
practical joke: trick played on someone
Dahlia did not understand the joke until Ramón explained the pun at the end.
A good joke can turn a boring meeting into a room full of laughter.
collocation: tell a joke / make a joke / get a joke
- tell a joke
- crack a joke
- make a joke
- get the joke
- practical joke
Grammar Patterns
a + joke
joke + about + noun phrase
tell + joke
Usage Note
Countable noun. Common verb partners include tell, make, get, and crack. A practical joke is a trick played on someone physically rather than a spoken story.
Common Mistakes
2. the humorous quality or content of something that a person either understands an
the humorous quality or content of something that a person either understands and enjoys, or fails to appreciate.
Baraka laughed loudly, showing that he got the joke immediately.
get the joke: understand the humour
Poor Zayd did not get the joke and looked confused while everyone else laughed.
My grandfather cannot take a joke and always gets offended when we tease him.
can't take a joke: gets offended by humour
The joke was lost on the younger children, who were too sleepy to follow it.
Amihan is a good sport who can take a joke and laugh at herself afterwards.
take a joke: accept humour without offence
- get the joke
- take a joke
- the joke was lost on
- humour
broader term for the quality of being funny; 'joke' in this sense is narrower, referring to a specific instance or its reception
Grammar Patterns
can't take a joke
get the joke
Usage Note
This sense appears mainly in fixed phrases such as get the joke (understand the humour) or can/can't take a joke (accept or be offended by humour). The noun is uncountable here — you would not say 'a good joke understanding'.
3. someone or something that is so ridiculous, badly run, or poorly made that nobod
someone or something that is so ridiculous, badly run, or poorly made that nobody can treat it with respect.
The hotel cooking class was a total joke because the chef forgot all the ingredients.
be a joke: be ridiculously bad
That politician became a joke after promising to build a bridge between two connected islands.
The public buses in this town are a joke because they never arrive on time.
be a joke: be badly organized
After falling asleep during the match, the referee was a joke among the football fans.
- be a joke
- become a joke
- laughingstock
stronger and more informal; a person who everyone laughs at
- farce
a situation that is a disorganized failure; slightly more formal
Grammar Patterns
be a joke
someone is a joke
something is a joke
Usage Note
Informal and often critical. Singular only — you would not say 'these are jokes' in this sense. Typically follows 'be a joke' or 'become a joke'.
Common Mistakes
be no joke
idiomused to say that a situation is serious, difficult, or unpleasant and should not be treated lightly.
Climbing that mountain with a heavy backpack is no joke, even for experienced hikers.
Getting the house ready for the inspection was no joke and took the whole weekend.
used to say that a person who tried to make another person look silly now appears silly or is at a disadvantage instead.
Élise tried to trick her brother, but the joke was on her when he turned the tables.
Ilan planned to embarrass the speaker, but the joke was on him when the microphone picked up his whisper.
to treat a serious matter as if it were funny, often to avoid facing it directly or to reduce tension.
Joon tried to make a joke of failing the driving test, but his hands were trembling.
Instead of getting angry, the coach made a joke of the team's loss to lift their spirits.
take a joke
idiomto be able to receive playful teasing or humour about yourself without becoming upset or offended.
Amani can take a joke and often laughs the loudest when her friends tease her.
If you cannot take a joke, it is better to tell people that you prefer not to be teased.
beyond a joke
idiomto have become so serious, annoying, or unacceptable that it can no longer be treated lightly or ignored.
The noise from the construction site is getting beyond a joke and nobody can sleep at night.
When Jessica found mould in her apartment for the third time, the situation was beyond a joke.
joking aside
idiomused to move from a humorous or lighthearted tone to a serious one, meaning 'let us be serious for a moment'.
Joking aside, we really do need to decide on a date for the wedding before next week.
Joking aside, the pollution in this river is a serious danger to the local fish and birds.
be/get beyond a joke
idiomWhen something becomes so annoying that it is no longer acceptable.
The noise from the construction site is getting beyond a joke.
Is his constant lateness beyond a joke now?
Used to say that someone who tried to make another person look foolish now looks foolish instead.
She tried to embarrass me, but the joke was on her.
Did you see that? The joke's on Tom for once.
joke — verb
1. to say things or tell stories that are intended to make people laugh.
to say things or tell stories that are intended to make people laugh.
Ramón likes to joke about his terrible cooking, but his food actually tastes great.
joke + about [topic]
The two friends joked with each other throughout the long bus ride to Taipei.
joke + with [person]
Saira was joking and laughing with her colleagues during the lunch break yesterday.
The teacher joked that the homework was so light it might float away before morning.
joke + that-clause
People often joke about the weather in this city because it changes every fifteen minutes.
- joke about
- joke with
- joke that
Grammar Patterns
joke + about + noun phrase
joke + with + person
Usage Note
Intransitive — you joke about a topic or with a person, but not 'joke something'. Common patterns: joke about [topic], joke with [person], joke that [clause].
Common Mistakes
2. to speak in a playful or teasing way without intending what you say to be taken
to speak in a playful or teasing way without intending what you say to be taken as the truth, often used when the other person is surprised by a statement.
Zayd said the dog ate his homework, but the teacher knew he was joking.
be joking: not serious
You must be joking if you think I'll swim across that freezing lake in January.
must be joking: expressing disbelief
When Amani offered to pay for everyone's dinner, we assumed she was only joking.
When the boss said we had to work all weekend, we hoped she was joking.
- be joking
- must be joking
- I'm not joking
- mean
'to be serious about what you say' — opposite of joking in this sense
Grammar Patterns
be joking
must be joking
you're joking
Usage Note
Almost always used in continuous forms (be joking). Frequently occurs in negative contexts (I'm not joking) or as an exclamation of disbelief (You must be joking!). Rarely used in past simple without context.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- jokernounB1
- jokeyadjectiveB2
- jokingadjectiveB1
- jokinglyadverbB2
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
Joke is the broadest term for anything said or done to make people laugh, from a short story to a playful trick. A pun is a specific type of joke that relies on words with two meanings or similar sounds (e.g. 'I used to be a baker, but I couldn't make enough dough'). A gag is more informal and often refers to a very short, sharp joke used in a scripted performance — think of a quick one-liner in a TV show. Comedy is a broader category — it covers the entire art form (stand-up shows, films, plays) rather than a single humorous item. You tell a joke, crack a gag, but you perform or watch comedy.
Common collocations
Adverbs
- always joking
- only joking
- half-joking
- just joking
Phrases
- no joke
- beyond a joke
- make a joke of
- take a joke
- the joke's on
Prepositions
- joke about
- joke with
Etymology
The word 'joke' entered English in the late 1600s from the Latin word 'jocus', meaning 'a jest or a sport'. It originally referred to a playful act or a game, and by the 1700s it had settled into its modern meaning of a funny story or remark.