joke

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA ^(key): /dʒəʊk/
• (US) IPA ^(key): /dʒoʊk/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

Singular joke

Plural jokes

1. (countable) If you tell a joke, you say something to make people laugh.

   Trevor's joke about the boring lexicographer was too funny.

2. If something is a joke, it is not considered seriously.

   Don't listen to Joseph. He's a joke. Nobody pays any attention to him.

Verb

Plain form joke

Third-person singular jokes

Past tense joked

Past participle joked

Present participle joking

1. (intransitive) When you joke about something, you say something funny that you don't really mean.

   Everyone joked about how bad his tennis was.

   I wasn't joking about burning my shoes.

   Because I have a dog, I joke with my friends about their boring cats.

   The coach joked that he would fire his whole team.

2. (intransitive) You say "you must be joking" when somebody tells you something that's very hard to believe.

   "She's forty three." "Forty three?! You must be joking. She looks like she's sixteen."