Meaning of "joke" in the English dictionary

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD JOKE

From Latin jocus a jest.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF JOKE

joke  [dʒəʊk]

GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF JOKE

Joke is a verb and can also act as a noun.

A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

The verb is the part of the sentence that is conjugated and expresses action and state of being.

See the conjugation of the verb joke in English.

WHAT DOES JOKE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Joke

A joke is something spoken, written, or done with humorous intention. Jokes may have many different forms, e.g., a single word or a gesture, a question-answer, or a whole short story. The word "joke" has a number of synonyms, including wisecrack, gag, prank, quip, jape and jest. To achieve their end, jokes may employ irony, sarcasm, word play and other devices. Jokes may have a punch line, i.e., an ending to make it humorous. A practical joke or prank differs from a spoken joke in that the major component of the humour is physical rather than verbal.

Definition of joke in the English dictionary

The first definition of joke in the dictionary is a humorous anecdote. Other definition of joke is something that is said or done for fun; prank. Joke is also a ridiculous or humorous circumstance.

CONJUGATION OF THE VERB TO JOKE

PRESENT

Present

I joke

you joke

he/she/it jokes

we joke

you joke

they joke

Present continuous

I am joking

you are joking

he/she/it is joking

we are joking

you are joking

they are joking

Present perfect

I have joked

you have joked

he/she/it has joked

we have joked

you have joked

they have joked

Present perfect continuous

I have been joking

you have been joking

he/she/it has been joking

we have been joking

you have been joking

they have been joking

Present tense is used to refer to circumstances that exist at the present time or over a period that includes the present time. The present perfect refers to past events, although it can be considered to denote primarily the resulting present situation rather than the events themselves.

PAST

Past

I joked

you joked

he/she/it joked

we joked

you joked

they joked

Past continuous

I was joking

you were joking

he/she/it was joking

we were joking

you were joking

they were joking

Past perfect

I had joked

you had joked

he/she/it had joked

we had joked

you had joked

they had joked

Past perfect continuous

I had been joking

you had been joking

he/she/it had been joking

we had been joking

you had been joking

they had been joking

Past tense forms express circumstances existing at some time in the past,

FUTURE

Future

I will joke

you will joke

he/she/it will joke

we will joke

you will joke

they will joke

Future continuous

I will be joking

you will be joking

he/she/it will be joking

we will be joking

you will be joking

they will be joking

Future perfect

I will have joked

you will have joked

he/she/it will have joked

we will have joked

you will have joked

they will have joked

Future perfect continuous

I will have been joking

you will have been joking

he/she/it will have been joking

we will have been joking

you will have been joking

they will have been joking

The future is used to express circumstances that will occur at a later time.

CONDITIONAL

Conditional

I would joke

you would joke

he/she/it would joke

we would joke

you would joke

they would joke

Conditional continuous

I would be joking

you would be joking

he/she/it would be joking

we would be joking

you would be joking

they would be joking

Conditional perfect

I would have joke

you would have joke

he/she/it would have joke

we would have joke

you would have joke

they would have joke

Conditional perfect continuous

I would have been joking

you would have been joking

he/she/it would have been joking

we would have been joking

you would have been joking

they would have been joking

Conditional or "future-in-the-past" tense refers to hypothetical or possible actions.

IMPERATIVE

Imperative

you joke
we let´s joke
you joke

The imperative is used to form commands or requests.

NONFINITE VERB FORMS

Infinitive

to joke

Past participle

joked

Present Participle

joking

Infinitive shows the action beyond temporal perspective. The present participle or gerund shows the action during the session. The past participle shows the action after completion.

SYNONYMS OF «JOKE»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «joke» and belong to the same grammatical category.

synonyms of joke

absurdity · antic · banter · buffoon · butt · caper · chaff · clown · crack · deride · escapade · farce · fool · frolic · fun · gag · gambol · jape · jest · josh · kid · lark · laugh · laughing stock · mock · mockery · nonsense · one-liner · parody · play the fool · practical joke · prank · pun · quip · quirk · ridicule · ridiculousness · sally · sham · simpleton · sport · taunt · tease · travesty · trick · whimsy · wind up · wisecrack · witticism

TRANSLATION OF JOKE

Find out the translation of joke to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of joke from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «joke» in English.

• Translator English - Chinese: 笑话
• Translator English - Spanish: broma
• English: joke
• Translator English - Hindi: मजाक
• Translator English - Arabic: نُكْتَةٌ
• Translator English - Russian: шутка
• Translator English - Portuguese: piada
• Translator English - Bengali: রসিকতা
• Translator English - French: blague
• Translator English - Malay: Jenaka
• Translator English - German: Witz
• Translator English - Japanese: 冗談
• Translator English - Korean: 농담
• Translator English - Javanese: Joke
• Translator English - Vietnamese: lời nói đùa
• Translator English - Tamil: ஜோக்
• Translator English - Marathi: विनोद करा
• Translator English - Turkish: şaka
• Translator English - Italian: scherzo
• Translator English - Polish: żart
• Translator English - Ukrainian: жарт
• Translator English - Romanian: glumă
• Translator English - Greek: αστείο
• Translator English - Afrikaans: grap
• Translator English - Swedish: skämt
• Translator English - Norwegian: spøk

10 QUOTES WITH «JOKE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word joke.

1

Todd Barry

I mean, I've had bartenders and waiters and waitresses make a comment about a joke of mine, like pointing out some sort of logic error or something that I've never even thought about, and they're right.

2

Elayne Boosler

I'm pretty equal opportunity when it comes to issues to joke about.

3

Libba Bray

My joke is that my father was a minister and my mother was an English teacher, so I'm trained to see the world in terms of symbols, which is hard when you just want to make toast.

4

Alison Brie

'30 Rock' is probably one of my favorite shows. It's just joke after joke after joke.

5

Marcus Brigstocke

I stumbled on a joke idea and style that worked, the audience went with it and, from that moment on, I was hooked. It's an amazing feeling.

6

MyAnna Buring

I always joke that I'm a British actress trying to break into Scandinavian TV.

7

Steve Carell

I'm a taker in terms of jokes. I love to hear a good joke, but I don't retain jokes. I'm not a good teller of jokes.

8

Jimmy Carr

You go, well you can't joke about race. Well if you're from a different race and that's your experience of the world and you want to talk about that, then fine. Or you can't talk about disability, but disabled comics can talk about that.

9

Darlene Cates

I'm not opposed to doing science fiction or comedy, but there has to be respect. I refuse to be the joke, the fat woman joke, in any movie. I've turned down roles.

10

Sidney Crosby

Challenging someone is good. You need to do it. Sometimes they don't even realize you're doing it, like when you joke with a goalie, 'What's wrong today? You losing it?'

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «JOKE»

Discover the use of joke in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to joke and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.

The McSweeney's Joke Book of Book Jokes

As John Hodgman says in this book's introduction, “We all know that books are funny.

McSweeney's, 2008

The Everything Kids' Joke Book: Side-Splitting, Rib-Tickling Fun

Not only does The Everything Kids' Joke Book provide kids with an endless supply of good clean jokes, but it also offers tips on how to tell jokes, how to deliver a punch line, and how to get laughs from family and friends!

Michael Dahl, 2002

The Preacher Joke Book

This surprisingly reverent collection of religious humor pokes less at the message than at the messenger.

Loyal Jones, 1989

The Biggest Ever Tim Vine Joke Book

The irrepressible, hysterical, puntastical Tim Vine, star of stage and screen, treats all of us here in his first joke book.

Tim Vine, 2010

Batman: The Killing Joke

Now Batman must race to stop his archnemesis before his reign of terror claims two of the Dark Knight's closest friends.

Alan Moore, 2008

Pretty Good Joke Book

This revised paperback edition--with over 200 more jokes--includes all the standbys, one-liners, puns, knock-knock jokes, and insults from the final joke show that aired in April 2000.

Garrison Keillor, 2005

Rationale of the Dirty Joke: An Analysis of Sexual Humor

These folk texts are authentically transcribed in their innocent and sometimes violent entirety.

G. Legman, 2007

Khushwant Singh's Joke Book 8

We must be taught how to do so and also how to laugh at ourselves. We are such funny people but are not able to see our funny side. So how do we explain the success of this series of joke books?

Khushwant Singh, 2008

The Super Joke Book

Presents riddles, jokes, and short stories about topics including money, school, animals, marriage, and sleep.

Gyles Brandreth, 2009

Khushwant Singh's Big Fat Joke Book

This volume brings together the funniest and most memorable selections from his enormous repertoire, including some of the wackiest jokes ever cracked about sex, God and politics.

Khushwant Singh, 2000

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «JOKE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term joke is used in the context of the following news items.

David Warner out to a joke shot but he could well have the last laugh …

David Warner was the only Australian wicket to fall on the first day of the Ashes Test at Lord's. Photograph: Ian Kington/AFP/Getty Images. «The Guardian, Jul 15»

Donald Trump Offends McCain Fans with Old Al Franken POW Joke …

Donald Trump Offends McCain Fans with Old Al Franken POW Joke. Franken 15 years ago: "I don't buy the war hero thing. Anybody can be ... «Reason, Jul 15»

Players joke that Taylor Swift concert caused Nationals Park lighting …

On three separate occasions, a light bank above the third base dugout malfunctioned, causing insufficient lighting around the home plate area. «Yahoo Sports, Jul 15»

High praise for Kristaps Porzingis: Knicks may not be 'a joke' | New …

LAS VEGAS — Knicks 7-foot-3 rookie wonder Kristaps Porzingis looked good enough in four games during the Las Vegas summer league that ... «New York Post, Jul 15»

Modi government's Pakistan policy an 'international joke': Congress …

NEW DELHI: As hostilities at the border escalated with fresh ceasefire violations by Pakistan, Congress today said India's Pakistan policy under ... «Economic Times, Jul 15»

Charlotte Crosby BLASTS Louis Walsh after risque joke: 'He's just a …

The Geordie Shore star is busy promoting her new autobiography, in which she claims Louis once made a risque joke about her bedroom ... «Mirror.co.uk, Jul 15»

Pua calls Rahman Dahlan 'a joke, doing the chicken dance' - The …

Pua calls Rahman Dahlan 'a joke, doing the chicken dance'. Published: 18 July 2015 3:46 PM. DAP's Petaling Utara MP Tony Pua mocks the Urban Wellbeing, ... «The Malaysian Insider, Jul 15»

Polish Joke: Guy Pushes His Friend Off a Cliff / Sputnik International

This guy definitely has a rather strange sense of humor as he risks pushing his friend so close to the edge of a cliff. Fortunately, the latter ... «Sputnik International, Jul 15»

Parables show Jesus enjoyed a joke - Brisbane Times

Surely there were times when a good Jewish joke caused Jesus to laugh. I find it intriguing that contributors to this column share the page with ... «Brisbane Times, Jul 15»

Lindsey Vonn On ESPYs Tiger Woods Joke: 'I Figured Something …

Lindsey Vonn found herself an unexpected participant in Joel McHale's Tiger Woods joke at the ESPYs – but the skier wasn't all that surprised ... «Access Hollywood, Jul 15»