joke
- 01 A2 Elementary
n.a short story with a funny ending that makes people laugh.
n.a brief oral or written narrative with a humorous climax or punchline.
Simple“He told a funny joke at dinner and everyone started laughing.”
In context“The comedian's opening joke relied on a clever play on words that immediately established a rapport with the audience.”
PitfallHe 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).
Synonymsanecdotewitticism - 02 A2 Elementary
n.something you say or do to be funny, not to be serious.
n.something said or performed for amusement or mischief rather than in earnest.
Simple“I thought it was a joke, but he was actually being serious.”
In context“The hidden-camera show specialized in elaborate jokes designed to capture the genuine reactions of unsuspecting passersby.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.something that is so bad or poorly done that it is embarrassing.
n.a person, thing, or situation that is laughably inadequate or lacks integrity.
Simple“The new security system is a joke; the door doesn't even lock properly.”
In context“Critics argued that the trial was a complete joke, citing the lack of evidence and the biased nature of the proceedings.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
n.a task or activity that is much easier than you expected.
n.an undertaking or challenge that proves to be trivial or effortlessly accomplished.
Simple“After all that studying, the final exam was a total joke.”
In context“For a professional athlete of her caliber, the local qualifying round was a joke that required little more than a warm-up effort.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to trick or tease someone in a friendly way.
v.to engage in lighthearted deception or teasing of another person.
Simple“Are you joking me? There is no way we won the lottery.”
In context“He realized his friends were joking him when they all struggled to keep a straight face while telling the tall tale.”
Usage joke candidate
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.