1
as in comedian
a person (as a writer) noted for or specializing in humor
he's the joker of the family, always making us laugh
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2
as in clown
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
just ignore that joker and his rude comments
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
4
as in hitch
a danger or difficulty that is hidden or not easily recognized
read the contract carefully before signing to make sure there aren't any jokers
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of joker
Kenneth’s father Sven invented the joker lap, while the power couple’s two sons, Timmy and Kevin, are both accomplished offroad racers.
—
James Morris, Forbes.com, 3 Jan. 2026
So Porter is now the guy the State Police have supposedly doing a deep dive on the clowns, grifters and assorted gender-bending jokers that Maura Healey hands six-figure hack sinecures to — judicial nominees, college presidents, the heads of the veterans’ homes, etc.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 29 Nov. 2025
The player’s winning cards were a 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen and a joker acting as a king — all in clubs.
—Helena Wegner, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2025
These jokers in Indianapolis acting the fool.
—Chris Sims, IndyStar, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for joker
James Morris, Forbes.com, 3 Jan. 2026
So Porter is now the guy the State Police have supposedly doing a deep dive on the clowns, grifters and assorted gender-bending jokers that Maura Healey hands six-figure hack sinecures to — judicial nominees, college presidents, the heads of the veterans’ homes, etc.
—Howie Carr, Boston Herald, 29 Nov. 2025
The player’s winning cards were a 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen and a joker acting as a king — all in clubs.
—Helena Wegner, Sacbee.com, 24 Sep. 2025
These jokers in Indianapolis acting the fool.
—Chris Sims, IndyStar, 27 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for joker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joker
Noun
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Alex Duong, a comedian, writer and actor based in Los Angeles, has died at the age of 42.—
Natalie Oganesyan,
Deadline,
29 Mar. 2026
-
The Bushnell has become Hartford’s big room for top-rank stand-up comedians.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Three years have passed since the stadium-sized clown show of the duo’s last record, 10,000 gecs, and Brady’s been feverishly cooking up unlikely collaborations and solo material.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
27 Mar. 2026
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Christopher Kosakowski, United States, 2025 A circus clown celebrating his birthday alone receives a mysterious gift box harboring an antique zoetrope that spins his world into mayhem.—
William Earl,
Variety,
25 Mar. 2026
Noun
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And to have a guy like him who understands what the competition looks like on the floor, but is still here to kind of enhance the environment, help celebrate his teammates, give his teammates wisdom.—
Roderick Boone,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Those guys are all older than me, [Richard] Linklater and [Robert] Rodriguez and all of those guys.—
Brayden Garcia,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Both ballot measures failed, but post-election analysis showed that both counties pulled off all-mail balloting without much of a hitch or any challenge to its procedures or validity.—
ORLANDO SENTINEL AND MIAMI HERALD EDITORIAL BOARDS,
The Orlando Sentinel,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The second test went off without a hitch in 2019.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The Eagles had in mind city-dwelling male breadwinners and excluded household and domestic work from their vision of who was among the deserving.—
Trevor Jackson,
The New York Review of Books,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Two groups — six females with two guides, and another group of three males with two guides — had decided to combine for the return to the trailhead at the Castle Peak Snowpark on Donner Summit, according to the report.—
Latoya Gayle,
PEOPLE,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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So the San Francisco Bay Area resident went back to a family recipe and decided to take a risk, with a whisk.—
Itay Hod,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
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The notion of compliance as an interconnected system aligns with broader trends in risk management.—
Connie Etemadi,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Dishes like jerk chicken and rice and beans cooked in coconut milk reflect the region’s deep Jamaican and British colonial influences that are distinctive from other parts of Costa Rica.—
Meghan Palmer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Mar. 2026
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Highlights include crab cakes, Napoleon, jerk chicken and waffles, lobster rolls, Florida Croque Madame, oxtail pasta, coquito French toast, tiramisu and more.—
Amy Drew Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Well, gentlemen, thank you both for lending us your expertise for this conversation.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
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In 2016, Eynon moved the operation to the new factory in Denver at the site of what was previously something of a private gentleman’s club for Denver Nuggets players, complete with a pool-table area, a bar, even a cigar and wine room.—
Tiney Ricciardi,
Denver Post,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Joker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joker. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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