Meanings
plural dad jokes
- colloquialA (usually deliberate) unfunny or corny joke, typically containing a pun and often in question/answer format.
Here is an oldie but a goodie: When does a joke become a dad joke? When it becomes apparent. Wocka wocka.
2021, Shannon Carpenter, The Ultimate Stay-at-Home Dad […] , Penguin, →ISBN, page 321 more example
Meta has created a vision of life in which, without A.I. aiding his every word, an individual can be left reeling by the simplest of human interactions, unmanned by an ordinary dad joke.
2025 June 25, Ismail Muhammad, “Why Does Every Commercial for A.I. Think You’re a Moron?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
present singular third person dad jokes · participle present dad joking · participle past dad joked · past dad joked
- colloquialTo tell (someone) a dad joke.
to get dad-joked
Origin
- Japaneseおやじギャグ
- Englishdad joke
Indicative of the type of bad jokes that might be told by one's father. Possible calque of Japanese おやじギャグ (oyaji gyagu, literally “dad joke”), although it is not clear which came first.
More words from Japanese
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish puujalkavitsi
- puujalkavitsiunfunny joke
French blague de papa, blague à papa
- blague de papaunfunny joke
- blague à papaunfunny joke
- joke de papaunfunny joke
German Schenkelklopfer, Flachwitz
- Schenkelklopferunfunny joke
- Flachwitzunfunny joke
Greek κρύο ανέκδοτο
- κρύο ανέκδοτο (krýo anékdoto)unfunny joke
Icelandic fimmaurabrandari
- fimmaurabrandariunfunny joke
Italian battuta stupida
- battuta stupidaunfunny joke
Japanese 親父ギャグ, オヤジギャグ
- 親父ギャグunfunny joke
- オヤジギャグ (oyaji-gyagu)unfunny joke
- 駄洒落 (dajare)unfunny joke
Korean 아재개그, 부장님 개그
- 아재개그 (ajaegaegeu)unfunny joke
- 부장님 개그 (bujangnim gaegeu)unfunny joke
Norwegian pappavits
- pappavitsunfunny joke
Polish suchar, beton
- sucharunfunny joke
- betonunfunny joke
- dowcipasunfunny joke
- suchy żartunfunny joke
- słaby żartunfunny joke
Portuguese piada seca, piada de tiozão
- piada secaunfunny joke
- piada de tiozãounfunny joke
Swedish pappaskämt, torrt skämt
- pappaskämtunfunny joke
- torrt skämtunfunny joke
Thai มุกแป้ก, มุกฝืด
- มุกแป้กunfunny joke
- มุกฝืดunfunny joke
- มุกเสี่ยวunfunny joke
Cite this entry
dad joke. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dad%20joke
“dad joke.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dad%20joke. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dad joke,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dad%20joke.
Source: dad joke on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.