become the Joker

verb

To have a breakdown; especially to be driven to violence by something maddening.

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Meanings

verbbecome the Joker (third-person singular simple present becomes the Joker, present participle becoming the Joker, simple past became the Joker, past participle become the Joker)

present singular third person becomes the Joker · participle present becoming the Joker · past became the Joker

  1. InternethumorousTo have a breakdown; especially to be driven to violence by something maddening.

    Listen, Shepard’s story is great, but it’s finished. Please. Don’t make me become The Joker.

    2021 February 9, Cian Maher, “If Commander Shepard Is In The Next Mass Effect Game, I Will Become The Joker”, in The Gamer
    2 more examples

    Doesn’t it feel like everyone is claiming to become The Joker these days? If you still want to have a highly-characterised breakdown whilst still being original about it, here are some alternatives.

    2021 October 16, Dan Saxotweet, “Alternatives To Becoming The Joker”, in Lemon Press

    “I don’t mean to overreact, but if anything happens to Dogmeat I’m going to become the Joker,” said one Reddit user while on X, some fans have promised to “riot” if Dogmeat gets hurt in the show.

    2023 December 4, Ali Shutler, “Fans react to ‘Fallout’ trailer: “If they hurt Dogmeat, we riot””, in NME

Origin

From a fake screenshot of the 2019 movie Joker posted by Twitter user @internethippo, in which the eponymous character says "I can't believe mother threw away my Nintendo. I'm going to become the Joker."

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

become the Joker. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/become%20the%20Joker

MLA

“become the Joker.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/become%20the%20Joker. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “become the Joker,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/become%20the%20Joker.

Source: become the Joker on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.