joke

plural jokes

1. An amusing story.

   Or witty joke our airy senses moves / To pleasant laughter.

   1708, John Gay, Wine

2. Something said or done for amusement, not in seriousness.

   It was a joke!

3. figurativelyA laughably worthless thing or person; a sham.

   The president was a joke.

   2 more examples

   Your effort at cleaning your room is a joke.

   The other wheel on the tender of the L.N.W.R. engines operated the tender brake, and this was always rather a joke. Sometimes it operated with good results and on other occasions it did not.

   1943 September and October, T. Lovatt Williams, “Some Reminiscences of the Footplate—II”, in Railway Magazine, page 272

4. figurativelySomething that is far easier or far less challenging than expected.

   The final exam was a joke.

present singular third person jokes · participle present joking · participle past joked · past joked

1. intransitiveTo do or say something for amusement rather than seriously.

   I didn’t mean what I said — I was only joking.

   Synonyms: jest

2. intransitiveTo dupe in a friendly manner for amusement; to mess with, play with.

   Relax, man, I'm just joking with you.

   Synonyms: sport

3. datedtransitiveTo make merry with; to make jokes upon; to rally.

   to joke a comrade

   1 more example

   He made more than one visit to Oxbridge, where the young fellows were amused by entertaining the old gentleman, and gave parties and breakfasts and fêtes, partly to joke him and partly to do him honour.

   1848 November – 1850 December, William Makepeace Thackeray, chapter 21, in The History of Pendennis. […], volume (please specify |volume=I or II), London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1849–1850, →OCLC