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
Mas, though, does have a joker in his deck.
—
Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The 166-piece set includes 36 dot, bam, and crack tiles, 12 dragons, 16 winds, 16 flowers, 10 jokers, and four blank spare tiles made from melamine.
—Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for joker
Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2026
The 166-piece set includes 36 dot, bam, and crack tiles, 12 dragons, 16 winds, 16 flowers, 10 jokers, and four blank spare tiles made from melamine.
—Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 8 Jan. 2026
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
See All Example Sentences for joker
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joker
Noun
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Club Kid, arguably the festival’s hottest title in terms of commercial potential, comes from Jordan Firstman, a comedian who built his following through viral Instagram skits during the pandemic before crossing over into features.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
17 May 2026
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The National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York, announced last week that the Oscar-winning filmmaker and comedian has donated a major collection of previously unseen documents and photographs to the museum.—
Francie Ebert,
NBC news,
17 May 2026
Noun
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In the end, Bill Skarsgård returned as the horrifying clown Pennywise, which was always the plan from the start.—
Emily Longeretta,
Variety,
11 May 2026
-
Even a rival gave kudos — kind of — to the clown.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
It's hit hard, hit fast, crush the bad guys, get the hostage and get out.—
David Hookstead OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
19 May 2026
-
How many guys get a second chance.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
19 May 2026
Noun
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The incidents involving contact with chains, trailer hitches, poles, and curbs indicate recurring limitations in detecting smaller or irregular obstacles, especially during reversing maneuvers.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
16 May 2026
-
What the critics say But the economy’s roaring comeback from the pandemic recession didn’t come without a hitch.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN Money,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Like seahorses, females are larger and males brood eggs, Short says.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
15 May 2026
-
Witnesses reported seeing a group of males fighting in the area just before the incident.—
Jason Green,
Mercury News,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Multiple spills — including the 1997 Torch/Platform Irene spill, the 2007 San Francisco Bay Cosco Busan bunker fuel spill, and the 2021 Huntington Beach pipeline leak — have reinforced California’s argument that expanded drilling and aging pipelines pose ongoing environmental risks.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
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And other states might not want to take similar risks.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
Noun
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Search the internet and there are coaches and players spotted sniffing the ammonia inhalants before a game, with their instant reactions — a noticeable head jerk or contorted face — going viral.—
Jason Jones,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
Hethington didn’t want to cannibalize his menu with the dish, instead compromising with a jerk lamb shank, and a whole Chinese Trini chicken, an homage to the popular takeout food in Trinidad.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
The games tent was run by an older but spry gentleman by the name of Cornelius.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
20 May 2026
-
Would both of you gentlemen, vote for that?—
CBS News,
CBS News,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Joker.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joker. Accessed 20 May. 2026.
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