joke
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joke
- /ˈd͡ʒəʊ̯k/ UK
- /ˈd͡ʒɵ̞ʊ̯k/ UK
- /ˈd͡ʒoʊ̯k/ Canadian, US, Standard
- /ˈd͡ʒɔʊ̯k/ Canadian, US, Standard
- /ˈd͡ʒəʉ̯k/ Australia, New Zealand
- /ˈd͡ʒɐ̝ʉ̯k/ Australia, New Zealand
Rhymes with -əʊk
Where it comes from
From Latin iocus (“joke, jest, pastime”), from Proto-Italic *jokos (“word, (playful?) saying”), from Proto-Indo-European *yokos (“word, utterance”), from ultimate root Proto-Indo-European *yek- (“to speak, utter”) (of which distant cognates include Proto-Celtic *yextis (“language”) (Breton yezh (“language”) and Welsh iaith (“language”)) and German Beichte (“confession”)). Cognate with French jeu, Italian gioco, Portuguese jogo, Spanish juego, Romanian joc, English Yule, Danish Jule, Norwegian Bokmål Jul, Swedish Jul, and Norwegian Nynorsk jol.
noun jokes
- An amusing story. Or witty joke our airy senses moves / To pleasant laughter.
- Something said or done for amusement, not in seriousness. It was a joke!
- A laughably worthless thing or person; a sham. Your effort at cleaning your room is a joke.
- Something that is far easier or far less challenging than expected. The final exam was a joke.
Similar: joke
verb jokes · joking · joked
-
To do or say something for amusement rather than seriously.
I didn’t mean what I said — I was only joking.
Similar: jest
-
To dupe in a friendly manner for amusement; to mess with, play with.
Relax, man, I'm just joking with you.
Similar: sport
- To make merry with; to make jokes upon; to rally. to joke a comrade
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: antic, jocularity, jest, jape, laugh, prank, caper, trick, gag, wheeze, yak, funny, humour, humorous, jester, humor
noun
Similar: joke
Translations
Every language
noun amusing story
| Español | broma, chiste, chascarrillo |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 농담 nongdam |
| 日本語 | 冗談 jōdan |
| 中文 | 笑話 /笑话 xiàohua |
| हिन्दी | चुटकुला cuṭkulā, लतीफ़ा latīfā |
| Kiswahili | kasheshe |
| Português | piada |
| Français | plaisanterie, blague, joke |
| Deutsch | Witz |
| Italiano | barzelletta, battuta, scherzo, celia |
| Ελληνικά | ανέκδοτο anékdoto |
| Română | banc, glumă, șagă |
| Русский | анекдо́т anekdót, шу́тка šútka |
| Tiếng Việt | chuyện tiếu lâm |
| العربية | طُرْفَة ṭurfa, نُكْتَة nukta, نَادِرَة nādira, لَطِيفَة laṭīfa |
| עברית | בְּדִיחָה b'dikhá |
noun something said or done for amusement
| Español | broma, cuchufleta, facecia, coña, jarana, chistosería |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 농담 nongdam |
| 日本語 | 冗談 jōdan, ジョーク jōku |
| 中文 | 玩笑 wánxiào |
| हिन्दी | मज़ाक़ mazāq, चुटकुला cuṭkulā, लतीफ़ा latīfā |
| Kiswahili | kasheshe, mzaha |
| Português | brincadeira, piada |
| Français | plaisanterie, blague |
| Deutsch | Scherz, Streich, Witz, Spaß |
| Italiano | battuta, scherzo, celia |
| Ελληνικά | αστείο asteío, πλάκα pláka |
| Română | glumă |
| Русский | шу́тка šútka, остро́та ostróta |
| Tiếng Việt | đùa, lời nói đùa, câu nói đùa |
| العربية | نُكْتَة nukta, هَزْل hazl |
| עברית | בְּדִיחָה b'dikhá |
noun worthless thing or person
| Español | tomadura de pelo |
|---|---|
| Português | piada |
| Français | raté, ratée |
| Deutsch | Witz |
| Italiano | burla |
| Română | glumă |
| Русский | кло́ун klóun, шут šut, посме́шище posméšišče |
verb do for amusement
| Español | bromear, jaranear, chistear, chilar, chilear |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 농담하다 nongdamhada |
| 日本語 | 冗談を言う jōdan o iu, 冷やかす hiyakasu, 巫山戯る fuzakeru |
| 中文 | 開玩笑 /开玩笑 kāi wánxiào |
| Português | gracejar, contar piada, brincar |
| Français | plaisanter, blaguer |
| Deutsch | scherzen, Witze machen, Spaß machen, witzeln |
| Italiano | scherzare |
| Ελληνικά | ατειεύομαι ateiévomai |
| Română | glumi |
| Русский | шути́ть šutítʹ, пошути́ть pošutítʹ |
| Tiếng Việt | nói đùa |
| العربية | مَزَحَ mazaḥa |
| עברית | התלוצץ hitlotséts, התבדח hitbadéakh |
Talk about this word "joke." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/joke. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. joke. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/joke "joke." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/joke.Cite this
@misc{joke_2026,
title = {joke},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/joke},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
