joke
/dʒəʊk/ · joke
noun
- An amusing story. The comedian told a joke that left the audience in stitches.
- Something said or done for amusement, not in seriousness. It was a joke!
- The root cause or main issue, especially an unexpected one. The joke was that the company's financial troubles were caused by a single, unwise investment.
verb
- To do or say something for amusement rather than seriously. I didn’t mean what I said — I was only joking.
- To dupe in a friendly manner for amusement; to mess with, play with. Relax, man, I'm just joking with you.
- To make merry with; to make jokes upon; to rally. to joke a comrade
Did you know? The word 'joke' has been used in various forms since the 14th century, with the first recorded usage in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.