pun

P3U1N1
US, UK/pʌn/Ireland, Northern England/pʊn/

verb

To beat; strike with force; to ram; to pound, as in a mortar; reduce to powder, to pulverize.

“The pun is the lowest form of wit.”

Similar
paronomasiaplay on wordspunningwordplay
OriginMiddle English ponnen ← Old English punian ← Proto-Germanic *punōną →
Less commonScrabble 5
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Meanings

pun1

verbpun (third-person singular simple present puns, present participle punning, simple past and past participle punned)

present singular third person puns · participle present punning · participle past punned · past punned

  1. obsoletetransitiveTo beat; strike with force; to ram; to pound, as in a mortar; reduce to powder, to pulverize.

    He would pun thee into shivers with his fist.

    c. 1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Troylus and Cressida”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act II, scene i]
  2. intransitiveTo make or tell a pun; to make a play on words.

    We punned about the topic until all around us groaned.

nounpun (plural puns)

plural puns

  1. A joke or type of wordplay in which similar definitions or sounds of two words or phrases, or different definitions of the same word, are deliberately confused.

    The pun is the lowest form of wit.

    1 more example

    "Certainly, my home at my uncle's brought me acquainted with a circle of admirals. Of Rears, and Vices, I saw enough. Now do not be suspecting me of a pun, I entreat."

    1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter VI, in Mansfield Park: […], volume I, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 124

    Synonyms: paronomasia, play on words

pun2

nounpun (plural puns or pun)

plural puns

  1. alternativeKorean units of measureAlternative form of bun (“Korean unit of measure”).

pun3

nounpun (plural puns)

plural puns · alternative pund

  1. IndiahistoricalA certain number of cowries, generally 80.

    Hackeries and carriages, loaded and empty, 8 annas. Sheep, goats, &c., 1 pun of cowries each.

    1864, The Regulations of the Bengal Code in Force in September 1862, page 1019

Pun4

proper nounPun (plural Puns)

plural Puns

  1. A surname.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA joke or type of wordplay in which similar definitions or sounds of two words or phrases, or different definitions of the same word, are deliberately confused.

Similar
paronomasiaplay on words

More synonyms by meaning

nouna humorous play on words

Similar
punningwordplayparonomasia
Broader
funplaysport
Also see
paronomasiapunningwordplay

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

pun · verb, noun

  1. Proto-Germanic*punōną“to break to pieces, pulverize”
  2. Old Englishpunian
  3. Middle Englishponnen
  4. Englishpun

From Middle English ponnen, ponen, punen, from Old English punian, pūnian (“to pound, beat, bray, bruise, crush, grind”), from Proto-Germanic *punōną (“to break to pieces, pulverize”). See pound. As a kind of word play, from the notion of “beating” the words into place.

More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-Germanic

Full word history & related roots →

pun · noun

  1. Chinese分“fen”
  2. Korean분
  3. Englishpun

From the McCune-Reischauer romanization of Korean 분 (bun), from Chinese 分 (“fen”).

More words from Korean, Chinese

Full word history & related roots →

pun · noun

  1. Hindi[Term?]
  2. Englishpun

From Hindi [Term?].

More words from Hindi

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic لُعْبَة اَلْكَلِمَات, جِنَاس
  • لُعْبَة اَلْكَلِمَات (luʕbat al-kalimāt)joke or type of wordplay
  • جِنَاس (jinās)joke or type of wordplay
Bulgarian игрословица, каламбур
  • игрословица (igroslovica)joke or type of wordplay
  • каламбур (kalambur)joke or type of wordplay
Catalan joc de paraules
  • joc de paraulesjoke or type of wordplay
Chinese Mandarin 雙關語 /双关语, 俏皮話 /俏皮话
  • 雙關語 /双关语 (shuāngguānyǔ)joke or type of wordplay
  • 俏皮話 /俏皮话 (qiàopihuà)joke or type of wordplay
Czech slovní hříčka
  • slovní hříčkajoke or type of wordplay
Danish ordspil
  • ordspiljoke or type of wordplay
Dutch woordspeling, woordgrapje
  • woordspelingjoke or type of wordplay
  • woordgrapjejoke or type of wordplay
Esperanto kalemburo, vortludo
  • kalemburojoke or type of wordplay
  • vortludojoke or type of wordplay
Finnish sanaleikki
  • sanaleikkijoke or type of wordplay
French calembour, jeu de mots
  • calembourjoke or type of wordplay
  • jeu de motsjoke or type of wordplay
German kalauern, Wortspiel
  • kalauernto make or tell a pun
  • Wortspieljoke or type of wordplay
  • Kalauerjoke or type of wordplay
Greek λογοπαίγνιο
  • λογοπαίγνιο (logopaígnio)joke or type of wordplay
Hebrew מִשְׂחַק מִלִּים, לָשׁוֹן נוֹפֵל עַל לָשׁוֹן
  • מִשְׂחַק מִלִּים (misḥáq milím)joke or type of wordplay
  • לָשׁוֹן נוֹפֵל עַל לָשׁוֹן (lashón nofél 'al lashón)joke or type of wordplay
Hungarian szójáték, szóvicc
  • szójátékjoke or type of wordplay
  • szóviccjoke or type of wordplay
Icelandic orðaleikur
  • orðaleikurjoke or type of wordplay
Irish imeartas focal
  • imeartas focaljoke or type of wordplay
Italian gioco di parole, bisticcio
  • gioco di parolejoke or type of wordplay
  • bisticciojoke or type of wordplay
  • freddurajoke or type of wordplay
Japanese 駄洒落, 洒落
  • 駄洒落joke or type of wordplay
  • 洒落joke or type of wordplay
  • 語呂合わせ (goroawase)joke or type of wordplay
Korean 말장난
  • 말장난 (maljangnan)joke or type of wordplay
Malay jenakata
  • jenakatajoke or type of wordplay
Māori kupu angarua
  • kupu angaruajoke or type of wordplay
Norwegian Bokmål ordspill
  • ordspilljoke or type of wordplay
Norwegian Nynorsk ordspel
  • ordspeljoke or type of wordplay
Persian تجنیس, جناس
  • تجنیس (tajnis)joke or type of wordplay
  • جناس (jenâs)joke or type of wordplay
Polish gra słów, kalambur
  • gra słówjoke or type of wordplay
  • kalamburjoke or type of wordplay
Portuguese fazer um trocadilho, trocadilhar
  • fazer um trocadilhoto make or tell a pun
  • trocadilharto make or tell a pun
  • trocadilhojoke or type of wordplay
  • chalaçajoke or type of wordplay
Romanian calambur, joc de cuvinte
  • calamburjoke or type of wordplay
  • joc de cuvintejoke or type of wordplay
Russian каламбу́р, игра́ слов
  • каламбу́р (kalambúr)joke or type of wordplay
  • игра́ слов (igrá slov)joke or type of wordplay
Scottish Gaelic cainnt-chluich, cluich
  • cainnt-chluichjoke or type of wordplay
  • cluichjoke or type of wordplay
Spanish alburear, calambur
  • alburearto make or tell a pun
  • calamburjoke or type of wordplay
  • alburjoke or type of wordplay
  • retruécanojoke or type of wordplay
Swedish ordvits, ordlek
  • ordvitsjoke or type of wordplay
  • ordlekjoke or type of wordplay
Tagalog bangkiwi, paritugma
  • bangkiwijoke or type of wordplay
  • paritugmajoke or type of wordplay
  • paandarjoke or type of wordplay
Turkish kelime oyunu
  • kelime oyunujoke or type of wordplay
Yiddish ווערטערשפּיל
  • ווערטערשפּיל (vertershpil)joke or type of wordplay

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with pun

sunrunfundonenoneeveryonesonwongunbeguntonDunndunnunbunGunnstuntonneundonererunshunmunthonoutrun
All rhymes →

Anagrams

nup
Cite this entry
APA

pun. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pun

MLA

“pun.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pun. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pun,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pun.

Source: pun on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.