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pun

n. countable
B1 Intermediate US //ˈpən// UK //pˈʌn// pun Archaic

n. a joke that plays on words with similar sounds but different meanings. You use it when someone makes a funny connection between two ideas using one word.

n. a play on words that exploits multiple meanings or similar sounds for humorous effect. Typically used in informal speech and writing.


SIMPLE

He told a pun about a broken pencil.

CONTEXTUAL

The comedian ended his set with a pun that made the audience groan and laugh at the same time.

COMPLEX

Shakespeare frequently employed puns to add layers of meaning and wit to his characters' dialogue.

Synonyms
Etymology 1

From Middle English ponnen, ponen, punen, from Old English punian, pūnian (“to pound, beat, bray, bruise, crush, grind”), from Proto-Germanic *punōną (“to break to pieces, pulverize”). See pound. As a kind of word play, from the notion of "beating" the words into place.

Etymology 2

From the McCune-Reischauer romanization of Korean 분 (bun), from Chinese 分 (“fen”).

Etymology 3

From Hindi [Term?].

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