private joke

noun

: a joke only understood by the few people who know what it refers to

Examples of private joke in a Sentence

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Eating and cooking and walking have become elevated pleasures, as have the dance-like dynamic of a really good conversation or the intimacy of a long-running private joke. Stephanie Sy-Quia, Vogue, 14 Apr. 2026 However, the unexpected theme certainly had an impact on the public, especially those who were not in on the private joke. Natalia Senanayake, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026 The 16-year-old was expelled and charged with threatening mass violence, even though his school acknowledged the video was intended as a private joke. Aliyya Swaby, ProPublica, 25 Sep. 2024 This gallows humor amounts to a national private joke — perhaps never intended to be taken seriously (not with characters named Dementus, Scrotus, and Rictus Erectus) except by comic-book fanatics emboldened by cinematic representation. Armond White, National Review, 24 May 2024

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“Private joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/private%20joke. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

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