# joking

/ˈdʒoʊkɪŋ/ (US) · /dʒˈəʊkɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/joking
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. saying something funny

verb · CEFR A2 · Informal

to say something funny to make people laugh.

For teachers: the act of making humorous remarks or telling anecdotes to provoke laughter.

- He was only joking when he said he was moving to Mars.
- The comedian spent the entire evening joking about the absurdities of modern office life, much to the delight of the audience.

### 2. trying to fool someone

verb · CEFR B1 · Informal

to say something that is not true as a trick or to be playful.

For teachers: to engage in playful deception or to claim something false for humorous effect.

- You must be joking if you think I can finish all this work by five.
- When she told me she had won the lottery, I assumed she was joking until she produced the winning ticket as proof.

### 3. the act of making jokes

noun · CEFR B2

the activity of telling jokes or being funny with friends.

For teachers: the practice or instance of engaging in jests or humorous exchanges.

- The constant joking in the classroom made it hard for the teacher to start the lesson.
- Despite the gravity of the situation, there was a certain amount of light-hearted joking among the rescue crew to relieve the tension.

## Examples

- I am only joking about the extra homework.
- He was clearly joking when he said he would quit his job to become a professional clown.
- Although her tone remained perfectly flat, the slight twinkle in her eye suggested she was merely joking with the reporters to see how they would react.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.