Thesaurus results for JOKING

joking 1 of 3

adjective

as in kidding

marked by or expressive of mild or good-natured teasing grinned and gave him a joking nudge with my elbow

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joking

2 of 3

noun

as in jesting

Related Words

joking

3 of 3

verb

present participle of joke

as in funning

to make jokes he was known for his ability to joke about his lack of anything resembling a social life

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in teasing

to make fun of in a good-natured way oh, don't get offended, I was just joking you

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of joking

Noun

Russell was mentioned in that speech, but in a joking way, playing off of how frequent Oscars director Glenn Weiss, who won for his role helming the 2018 Academy Awards telecast, had used his speech to propose to his then-girlfriend. — Hilary Lewis, HollywoodReporter, 9 Oct. 2026 Arch Manning's joking comments at a news conference about a fake video of coach Steve Sarkisian slapping ESPN reporter Holly Rowe erupted in controversy. — ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026 Indeed, at lunch, instead of separating into groups to eat, all 16 participants form one mega table and spend the half-hour joking and laughing together. — Ellise Shafer, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026 Many readers — some likely joking — shared their grievances with Elmo. — Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026 Back in December 1968, Dolan wrote a joking column about the earlier Lake Worth monster, from way back in 1947. — Star-Telegram Staff, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10 July 2026 Oh, but the Padres manager was ready with the joking last night. — Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2026 Still, Yoon’s joking somehow lightens the mood. — Literary Hub, 11 June 2026 Sometimes a playful comment, an unexpected reply or a joking callout between brands takes on a life of its own online. — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026

Verb

On the police's Facebook account on Tuesday, officers criticized inappropriate comments and warned that sharing or joking about such incidents can worsen the impact on any victim. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026 From the Polar Prince, Dawood watched Shahzada joking with Hamish — the pair had become friends. — Julia Buckley, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026 The photos went viral and inspired memes, with social media users joking that Affleck's exasperated expression summed up the frustrations of 2020. — Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026 Unless the industry in question is peak grunge, Fox is joking. — Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2026 After joking about his love life during the Animals press tour, the actor and director posed with Damon and wife Luciana at the Los Angeles premiere of the new movie on Thursday. — Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2026 Even Reddit users joined in the discussion, joking about being too old to qualify. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026 Swifties quickly took notice of the picture, with some joking about her decision to delay releasing her actual wedding photos. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 28 Sep. 2026 Brunson began his monologue by joking that his time winning the 2026 NBA championship this year with the New York Knicks may mirror his hosting stint. — Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 27 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for joking

Adjective

The interest has been driven largely by the brand's casual, sarcastic tone and active participation in online trends.

— Megan Sauer, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
Before the constant stream of sarcastic Ultron commentary wears out its welcome around the series’ halfway point, the bad guy’s brevity is a nice counterpoint to all of the sentient ennui.

— David Fear, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of sarcastic

Noun

Hudson showed some subtle support for the jesting knocks to her boyfriend by reposting a clip of his final joke shared on Fox News' official X page.

— Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
No matter what happened, Dunham could not seem to help posting through it, her public persona one of infinite jesting confession.

— Madeline Leung Coleman, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026

Definition of jesting

Verb

But kidding aside, AI used in the right way can make people smarter about their health, more so than most realize.

— Amanda Gerut, Fortune, 13 Oct. 2026
But Guthrie wasn’t kidding, slipping into a yellow gingham dress before joining her co-hosts on the Today Show Plaza to greet visitors.

— Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026

Definition of kidding

Verb

Mahomes began teasing the collection last week with several posts on her Instagram.

— Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026
As part of the panel, co-showrunners and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau introduced a new clip teasing the second season, alongside series cast members Holly Hunter, Sandro Rosta, Bella Shepard, Karim Diané and Robert Picardo.

— Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of teasing

Noun

In the eyes of the conferences, and CFP committee, the allure of a postseason bid is the carrot that would dangle in front of them so that fans would look the other way at the nonsense this creates for the football played in September or October.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026
My fellow relishers of Trowbridge nonsense, today is our day of jubilee.

— Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of nonsense

Browse Nearby Words

jokiness

joking

jollied

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“Joking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joking. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of joking

adjective

noun

verb

Example Sentences

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