Definition, synonyms and related words
plural of joke
"The comedian told three jokes about his cat, but none of them made anyone laugh."
In plain English: Jokes are funny stories or sayings told to make people laugh.
"He told some jokes that made everyone laugh."
Usage: Use "jokes" to refer to multiple humorous stories or remarks told to amuse others. Do not use it when you mean a serious attempt at humor that fails, which requires the singular term "joke."
Third-person singular simple present indicative form of joke
"She jokes about her own mistakes in every meeting to keep the atmosphere light."
In plain English: To joke means to say something funny on purpose just to make people laugh.
"The comedian jokes about his own bad hair to make the audience laugh."
Usage: Use "jokes" to describe when someone habitually makes funny remarks or tells amusing stories. This third-person verb form applies specifically to he, she, it, or any singular noun performing the action.
Really good.
"The jokes at that comedy club were genuinely hilarious and left everyone laughing until their sides hurt."
"It is not easy to tell jokes about someone who is already joking about their own situation."
Usage: Do not use "jokes" as an adjective; instead, use the singular noun phrase "a joke." When describing something excellent, say it is "the best joke" or simply that it is "great."
Derived from Old French jogues (gambols, antics), this term originally referred to playful physical behavior before evolving in Middle English to denote humorous stories or witty remarks. The root is ultimately Germanic, related to words meaning to leap or jump.