punchline

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A form of punch line — The final part of a joke; the word, sentence, or exchange of sentences that is intended to be funny and provokes laughter from the listeners.

UncommonScrabble 16

Meanings

nounpunchline (plural punchlines)

plural punchlines

  1. alternativeAlternative spelling of punch line.
    1 more example

    Arguably, without Jones, Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969-74) would not have revolutionised British TV comedy. He was key in developing the show’s distinctively trippy, stream-of-consciousness format, where each surreal set-up (the Lumberjack Song, the upper-class twit of the year show, the dead parrot, or the fish-slapping dance) flowed into the next, unpunctuated by punchlines.

    2020 January 22, Stuart Jeffries, “Terry Jones obituary”, in The Guardian

Synonyms & antonyms

nounthe point of a joke or humorous story

Broader

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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