Joke

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Joke, n. [L. jocus. Cf Jeopardy, Jocular, Juggler.].

•  Something said for the sake of exciting a laugh; something witty or sportive (commonly indicating more of hilarity or humor than jest); a jest; a witticism; as, to crack good-natured jokes.  [1913 Webster]

  "And gentle dullness ever loves a joke."  [1913 Webster]

  "Or witty joke our airy senses moves
  To pleasant laughter."  [1913 Webster]
•  Something not said seriously, or not actually meant; something done in sport.  [1913 Webster]

  "Inclose whole downs in walls, 't is all a joke."  [1913 Webster]

In joke, in jest; sportively; not meant seriously. -- Practical joke. See under Practical.

Joke, v. t. 

 To make merry with; to make jokes upon; to rally; to banter; as, to joke a comrade.  [1913 Webster]

Joke, v. i. [L. jocari.].

 To do something for sport, or as a joke; to be merry in words or actions; to jest.  [1913 Webster]
"He laughed, shouted, joked, and swore."

Syn. -- To jest; sport; rally; banter. See Jest.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Joke, n. & v.
--n.
1 a a thing said or done to excite laughter. b a witticism or jest.
2 a ridiculous thing, person, or circumstance.
--v.
1 intr. make jokes.
2 tr. poke fun at; banter.

Idiom

no joke colloq. a serious matter.

Derivative

jokingly adv. joky adj. (also jokey). jokily adv. jokiness n.

Etymology

17th c. (joque), orig. sl.: perh. f. L jocus jest

THESAURUS

Joke

a continental, a curse, a damn, a darn, a hoot, absurdity, anecdote, antic, badinage, bagatelle, banter, bauble, be merry with, bean, belly laugh, bibelot, bijouterie, bit, blue story, bon mot, brass farthing, buffoon, burlesque, butt, button, byword, byword of reproach, caper, caricature, cent, chaff, crack, crack a joke, crack wise, curio, derision, dido, dirty joke, dirty story, double entendre, drollery, dupe, ethnic joke, exchange, facetiousness, fair game, farce, farthing, feather, fig, figure of fun, fleabite, fleer at, folderol, fool, fooling, fooling around, fribble, frippery, frolic, fun, funny story, gag, game, gaud, gazingstock, gewgaw, gibe at, gimcrack, give-and-take, goat, good one, good story, good-natured banter, hair, halfpenny, harmless teasing, haze, hill of beans, howler, humor, humorousness, jape, jest, jestbook, jestingstock, jive, jocoseness, jocularity, jolly, josh, kickshaw, kid, kid around, kidding, kidding around, knickknack, knickknackery, laugh, laughingstock, make a funny, make fun, make fun of, minikin, mock, mockery, molehill, monkey, monkeyshine, needle, panic, parody, peppercorn, persiflage, picayune, pilgarlic, pin, pinch of snuff, pinprick, play, play on words, pleasantry, point, poke fun at, prank, pun, put on, quip, quiz, rag, raillery, rally, rallying, rap, razz, red cent, repartee, rib, rib tickler, ride, ridicule, riot, roast, row of pins, rush, sally, sarcasm, scintillate, scoff at, scream, shit, sick joke, sidesplitter, sight gag, snap, sneeshing, sou, sparkle, sport, stock, story, straw, target, taunt, tease, toy, travesty, trifle, trinket, triviality, tuppence, twit, two cents, twopence, utter a mot, victim, visual joke, waggery, wheeze, whim-wham, wisecrack, wit, witticism, wittiness, wordplay, wow, yak, yarn

ROGET THESAURUS

Joke

Unimportance

N unimportance, insignificance, nothingness, immateriality, triviality, levity, frivolity, paltriness, poverty, smallness, vanity, matter of indifference, no object, nothing, nothing to signify, nothing worth speaking of, nothing particular, nothing to boast of, nothing to speak of, small matter, no great matter, trifling matter, mere joke, mere nothing, hardly anything, scarcely anything, nonentity, small beer, cipher, no great shakes, peu de chose, child's play, kinderspiel, toy, plaything, popgun, paper pellet, gimcrack, gewgaw, bauble, trinket, bagatelle, Rickshaw, knickknack, whim-wham, trifle, trifles light as air, yankee notions, trumpery, trash, rubbish, stuff, fatras, frippery, leather or prunello, chaff, drug, froth bubble smoke, cobweb, weed, refuse, scum, joke, jest, snap of the fingers, fudge, fiddlestick, fiddlestick end, pack of nonsense, mere farce, straw, pin, fig, button, rush, bulrush, feather, halfpenny, farthing, brass farthing, doit, peppercorn, jot, rap, pinch of snuff, old son, cent, mill, picayune, pistareen, red cent, minutiae, details, minor details, small fry, dust in the balance, feather in the scale, drop in the ocean, flea-bite, molehill, nine days' wonder, ridiculus mus, flash in the pan, much ado about nothing, unimportant, of little account, of small account, of no account, of little importance, of no importance, immaterial, unessential, nonessential, indifferent, subordinate, mediocre, passable, fair, respectable, tolerable, commonplace, uneventful, mere, common, ordinary, inconsiderable, so-so, insignificant, inappreciable, trifling, trivial, slight, slender, light, flimsy, frothy, idle, puerile, airy, shallow, weak, powerless, frivolous, petty, niggling, piddling, peddling, fribble, inane, ridiculous, farcical, finical, finikin, fiddle-faddle, fingle-fangle, namby-pamby, wishy-washy, milk and water, poor, paltry, pitiful, contemptible, sorry, mean, meager, shabby, miserable, wretched, vile, scrubby, scrannel, weedy, niggardly, scurvy, putid, beggarly, worthless, twopennyhalfpenny, cheap, trashy, catchpenny, gimcrack, trumpery, one- horse, not worth the pains, not worth while, not worth mentioning, not worth speaking of, not worth a thought, not worth a curse, not worth a straw, beneath notice, unworthy of notice, beneath regard, unworthy of regard, beneath consideration, unworthy of consideration, de lana caprina, vain, slightly, rather, somewhat, pretty well, tolerably, for aught one cares, Int, no matter!, pish!, tush!, tut!, pshaw!, pugh!, pooh, pooh-pooh!, fudge!, bosh!, humbug!, fiddlestick, fiddlestick end!, fiddlededee!, never mind!, n'importe!, what signifies it, what boots it, what of it, what of that, what matter, what's the odds, a fig for', stuff!, nonsense!, stuff and nonsense, magno conatu magnas nugas, le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle, it matters not, it does not signify, it is of no consequence, it is of no importance, elephantus non capit murem, tempete dans un verre d'eau.

Wit

N wit, humor, wittiness, sense of humor, attic wit, attic salt, atticism, salt, esprit, point, fancy, whim, drollery, pleasantry, farce, buffoonery, fooling, tomfoolery, shenanigan, harlequinade, broad farce, broad humor, fun, espieglerie, vis comica, jocularity, jocosity, jocoseness, facetiousness, waggery, waggishness, whimsicality, comicality, banter, badinage, retort, repartee, smartness, ready wit, quid- pro-quo, ridicule, jest, joke, jape, jibe, facetiae, levity, quips and cranks, capital joke, canorae nugae, standing jest, standing joke, private joke, conceit, quip, quirk, crank, quiddity, concetto, plaisanterie, brilliant idea, merry thought, bright thought, happy thought, sally, flash of wit, flash of merriment, scintillation, mot, mot pour rire, witticism, smart saying, bon-mot, jeu d'esprit, epigram, jest book, dry joke, quodlibet, cream of the jest, word-play, jeu de mots, play of words, play upon words, pun, punning, double entente, double entendre, quibble, verbal quibble, conundrum, anagram, acrostic, double acrostic, trifling, idle conceit, turlupinade, old joke, tired joke, flat joke, Joe Miller, witty, attic, quick-witted, nimble-witted, smart, jocular, jocose, humorous, facetious, waggish, whimsical, kidding, joking, puckish, playful, merry and wise, pleasant, sprightly, light, spirituel, sparkling, epigrammatic, full of point, ben trovato, comic, zany, madcap, funny, amusing, jokingly, in joke, in jest, in sport, in play, adhibenda est in jocando moderatio, gentle dullness ever loves a joke, leave this keen encounter of our wits, just joking, just kidding, surely you jest!.

VB joke, jest, crack a joke, make a joke, jape, cut jokes, perpetrate a joke, pun, perpetrate a pun, make fun of, make merry with, kid, kid around, fool around, set the table in a roar, retort, banter, ridentem dicere verum, joke at one's expense, take in jest, bomb, fall flat, go over like a lead balloon.

Ridicule

VB ridicule, deride, mock, taunt, snigger, laugh in one's sleeve, tease, badinage, banter, rally, chaff, joke, twit, quiz, roast, haze, tehee, fleer, show up, play upon, play tricks upon, fool to the top of one's bent, laugh at, grin at, smile at, poke fun at, satirize, parody, caricature, burlesque, travesty, turn into ridicule, make merry with, make fun of, make game of, make a fool of, make an April fool of, rally, scoff, raise a laugh, play the fool, make a fool of oneself.