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English (UK)

Meaning of joke in English

joke
noun
uk
/dʒəʊk/ us
/dʒoʊk/

joke noun (FUNNY)

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B1 [ C ]
something, such as a funny story or trick, that is said or done in order to make people laugh:
Did I tell you the joke about the chicken crossing the road?
She spent the evening cracking (= telling) jokes and telling funny stories.
She tied his shoelaces together for a joke.
I hope Rob doesn't tell any of his dirty jokes (= jokes about sex) when my mother's here.
He tried to do a comedy routine, but all his jokes fell flat (= no one laughed at them).
Don't you get (= understand) the joke?
More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Humour & humorous
See more results »

joke noun (BAD/SILLY)

C1 [ S ] informal
a person or thing that is very bad or silly:
Our new teacher's a joke - he can't even control the class.
The new software is a complete joke - it keeps crashing.
The test was a joke (= was very easy) - everyone finished in less than an hour.
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Mocking and taunting
See more results »

Idioms

be no joke
get/go beyond a joke
the joke is on someone
make a joke of something
take a joke
joke
verb [ I ]
uk
/dʒəʊk/ us
/dʒoʊk/
B1
to say funny things:
They joked and laughed as they looked at the photos.
It's more serious than you think, so please don't joke about it.
[ + speech ] "I didn't expect to be out so soon", he joked, after spending nine months in hospital.
B1
If you think that someone is joking, you think that they do not really mean what they say:
I thought he was joking when he said Helen was pregnant, but she really is.
She wasn't joking (= she was serious) when she said she was going to move out of the house.
Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples
to tease someone
  • teaseThe boys teased her mercilessly on the playground.
  • jokeI've lost your passport. Only joking!
  • kidI'm sorry, I forgot to get you a birthday present. Just kidding!
  • pull someone's legIs that really your car or are you pulling my leg?
  • ribHis brothers were ribbing him about his new girlfriend.
  • make fun ofThe other children made fun of him because he wore glasses.
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More examplesFewer examples
SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases
Humour & humorous
See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Idioms

joking apart/aside
only joking!
you must be joking
you're joking!
(Definition of joke from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

joke | American Dictionary

joke
noun
us
/dʒoʊk/

joke noun (AMUSING)

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[ C ]
something, such as an amusing story or trick, that is said or done in order to make people laugh:
He told a joke about a farmer and a lawyer that made Nicholas burst into laughter.

joke noun (RIDICULOUS)

[ U ] infml
something considered to be so bad or worthless that it is ridiculous:
The playing conditions on the muddy field were a joke.
The midterm exam was a joke (= too easy).
joke
verb
us
/dʒoʊk/

joke verb (AMUSE)

to say things in an amusing or playful manner:
[ I ] He joked about how I was always cleaning.
[ + that clause ] They’ve always joked that the place is so wet, the bullfrogs have to sit on the fences.
(Definition of joke from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of joke

joke
Residents also played practical jokes and teased one another.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The appreciation of visual jokes in people with schizophrenia : a study of ' mentalizing ' ability.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The appreciation of visual jokes in people with schizophrenia : a study of mentalizing ability.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
There are many joking references to her in the sessions, although the adolescents knew that she would hear these remarks.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
It is the existence of the joke, not its funniness, that matters.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Following the resurgence of the style, there is now a tendency to joke about ' baby-goths', but all ' outsiders' start at the outside.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
That she is the object of jokes and curiosity as a result suggests the novelty and threat of this status.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Among the staff, humor and joking together provided a means of negotiating the tension around hierarchical differences.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Would we not expect to find at least some bawdy allusions in male jokes and social satires?
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Ageism is experienced in interactions in various forms, including jokes about growing older.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Indeed, it was misleading, a joke, beneath serious criticism, and it got none.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
At the same time, through ridicule, the joke puts them firmly back in their place.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The twenty seem to have been incompetent "young gentlemen," whom the police authorities treated as something of a joke.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Most are obviously and deliberately jokes about these places "made up" by local community members.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
It's much better to wait for at least one good joke and perhaps some cheerful nudity.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
See all examples of joke
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with joke

joke

These are words often used in combination with joke.

Click on a collocation to see more examples of it.

bad joke
They are not a bad joke.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
inside joke
The story credit is an inside joke.
From
Wikipedia
This example is from Wikipedia and may be reused under a CC BY-SA license.
little joke
It was just their little joke.
From the
Hansard archive
Example from the Hansard archive. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
See all collocations with joke
What is the pronunciation of joke?
 

Translations of joke

in Chinese (Traditional)
有趣的, 笑話, 玩笑…
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in Chinese (Simplified)
有趣的, 笑话, 玩笑…
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in Spanish
chiste, chiste [masculine, singular]…
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in Portuguese
piada, piada [feminine], brincadeira [feminine]…
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in more languages
in Marathi
in Japanese
in Turkish
in French
in Catalan
in Dutch
in Tamil
in Hindi
in Gujarati
in Danish
in Swedish
in Malay
in German
in Norwegian
in Urdu
in Ukrainian
in Russian
in Telugu
in Arabic
in Bengali
in Czech
in Indonesian
in Thai
in Vietnamese
in Polish
in Korean
in Italian
काहीतरी जसे की एक मजेशीर कथा किंवा युक्ती, जी लोकांना हसविण्यासाठी सांगितली जाते किंवा केली जाते, विनोद…
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冗談, ジョーク, 冗談を言う…
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şaka, espri, fıkra…
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plaisanterie [feminine], blague [feminine], plaisanter…
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acudit, fer broma…
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grap, grappen maken…
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ஒரு வேடிக்கையான கதை அல்லது தந்திரம் போன்ற ஒன்று, மக்களை சிரிக்க வைப்பதற்காக கூறப்படுகிறது அல்லது செய்யப்படுகிறது, வேடிக்கையான விஷயங்களைக் கூறுதல்…
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चुटकुला, मज़ाक, मज़ाकिया बातें कहना…
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લોકોને હસાવવા માટે કરવામાં આવતી કોઈ વસ્તુ, જેમ કે રમૂજી ટુચકા કે યુક્તિ, રમૂજી વાતો કરવી…
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vittighed, morsomhed, gøre grin med…
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skämt, vits, skoj…
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jenaka, gurauan, kelakar…
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der Witz, der Streich, necken…
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vits [masculine], spøk [masculine], spøke…
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لطیفہ, مذاق, مزاحیہ باتیں کرنا…
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жарт, сміх, анекдот…
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анекдот, шутка, шутить…
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జోక్/ తమాషా కథ లేదా యుక్తి వంటిది ఏదైనా, ప్రజలను నవ్వించడం కోసం చెప్పేది లేదా చేసేది, హాస్యమాడు/ తమాషా విషయాలు చెప్పు…
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نُكْتة, يَمْزَح…
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কৌতুক, রসিকতা করা, মজা করা…
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vtip, žert, legrace…
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lelucon, bergurau…
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เรื่องตลก, สิ่งขบขัน, พูดตลก…
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lời nói đùa, trò đùa, giễu cợt…
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dowcip, żartować, kawał…
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농담, 농담을 하다…
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barzelletta, scherzare, cosa ridicola…
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jointly
jointly and severally
joist
jojoba
joke
joked
joker
joker in the pack idiom
jokester

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