ENGLISH
REFERENCE

joke

n. · v.
US //ˈdʒoʊk// UK //dʒˈəʊk// joke
  1. 1 funny story (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a short story with a funny ending that makes people laugh.

    a brief oral or written narrative with a humorous climax or punchline.

    Example

    He told a funny joke at dinner and everyone started laughing.

    Example

    The comedian's opening joke relied on a clever play on words that immediately established a rapport with the audience.
    Pitfall
    He made a joke about the situation.
    He told a joke about the situation.

    In English, you 'tell' a joke (the story) but you 'make' a joke (a witty comment).

  2. 2 playful act (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    something you say or do to be funny, not to be serious.

    something said or performed for amusement or mischief rather than in earnest.

    Example

    I thought it was a joke, but he was actually being serious.

    Example

    The hidden-camera show specialized in elaborate jokes designed to capture the genuine reactions of unsuspecting passersby.
Show 3 more sensesShow fewer
  1. 3 something worthless (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    something that is so bad or poorly done that it is embarrassing.

    a person, thing, or situation that is laughably inadequate or lacks integrity.

    Example

    The new security system is a joke; the door doesn't even lock properly.

    Example

    Critics argued that the trial was a complete joke, citing the lack of evidence and the biased nature of the proceedings.
  2. 4 something very easy (n.)
    C1 Advanced Informal

    a task or activity that is much easier than you expected.

    an undertaking or challenge that proves to be trivial or effortlessly accomplished.

    Example

    After all that studying, the final exam was a total joke.

    Example

    For a professional athlete of her caliber, the local qualifying round was a joke that required little more than a warm-up effort.
  3. 5 to tease someone (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    to trick or tease someone in a friendly way.

    to engage in lighthearted deception or teasing of another person.

    Example

    Are you joking me? There is no way we won the lottery.

    Example

    He realized his friends were joking him when they all struggled to keep a straight face while telling the tall tale.
Origin

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.

Idioms5 entries

© 2026 English Reference