Mad Lib

noun

A humorously nonsensical story created from a template with blanks for certain elements. One participant supplies words to fill the blanks (e.g. "nose" where a body part is required), and the other reads the resulting story.

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Meanings

nounMad Lib (plural Mad Libs)

plural Mad Libs

  1. A humorously nonsensical story created from a template with blanks for certain elements. One participant supplies words to fill the blanks (e.g. "nose" where a body part is required), and the other reads the resulting story.

    Here's a fun activity that combines a Mad Lib-like approach with math to create some very interesting (and sometimes hilarious) word problems.

    2002, Bob Krech, Meeting the Math Standards With Favorite Picture Books: Grades 2-4

Origin

Blend of mad + ad lib; Mad Libs is the brand name for the packaged game.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

Mad Lib. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mad%20Lib

MLA

“Mad Lib.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mad%20Lib. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Mad Lib,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Mad%20Lib.

Source: Mad Lib on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.