joke
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
How often you will meet it
Rank 2,446 of 71,295 words measured. It occurs 7,006 times across 175,160 chapters — 0.003% of every word in the library.
What it means
noun
- a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter also: gag, laugh, jest, jape he told a very funny jokehe knows a million gags
- activity characterized by good humor also: jest, jocularity
- a ludicrous or grotesque act done for fun and amusement also: antic, prank, trick, caper, put-on
- a triviality not to be taken seriously I regarded his campaign for mayor as a joke
verb
- tell a joke; speak humorously also: jest He often jokes even when he appears serious
- act in a funny or teasing way also: jest
joke in real books
Each sentence below was written by a published author and is taken from a different book in our library. Open one to read the passage it came from, with narration.
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What a joke to think that Caesar was drinking tea with Dirty Dick!
The Hill: A Romance of Friendship · Horace Annesley Vachell · Chapter 1
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And at that they both laughed again, and thought it a very good joke.
The Water-Babies · Charles Kingsley · Chapter 1
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He was full of joke and jest, But all his merry quips are o’er.
Poems Every Child Should Know · Mary E. (Mary Elizabeth) [Editor] Burt · Chapter 1
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I had entered from the first into the joke of his career—I pretended to regard him as a consecrated child.
Greville Fane · Henry James · Chapter 1
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Another man, again, might have thought himself a victim of a passing practical joke, but Brown could not easily believe this.
The Club of Queer Trades · G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton · Chapter 1