as in kidding
marked by or expressive of mild or good-natured teasing
grinned and gave him a joking nudge with my elbow
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in jesting
Related Words
1
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
2
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
David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
The president has long bristled at the otherwise customary joking at his expense by celebrity comedians.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 28 Apr. 2026
Here opposites — classy and brassy — are distractions, with odd-couple joking substituting for something more substantial.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
There was none of the usual laughing and joking.
—Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Lindsay says that Jesse was serious about asking, but that the make-out would be a joking make-out.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2026
The women’s team declined their joking invitation and had to explain comments directed at them.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2026
The tiny macaque, born on July 26, is often spotted clutching a plush toy from IKEA and has melted hearts across the internet, inspiring a wave of comments from fans half-joking about booking flights to Japan to check on him.
—Joshua Mellin, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2026
Harry Styles is ready to do some late-night joking.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 23 Feb. 2026
Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 18 May 2026
The two have grown close as a regular double-play duo, constantly joking and laughing together in the clubhouse and on the field.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 16 May 2026
The DaniMation Entertainment founder also responded to Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson using the word twice while joking about NBA’s Draymond Green during Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 15 May 2026
The Grammy-winning rapper addressed the viral clip in a post shared on X, joking about the situation while acknowledging the public attention surrounding the moment.
—Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
But Fonda was simply joking, the actress and activist said while kicking off the opening night of the TCM Classic Film Festival on April 30.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Clark's comment prompted joking responses on social media.
—Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
Fox News host Jesse Watters was escorted away from King Charles III and Queen Camilla after joking with the Queen about gun violence at the state dinner welcoming the royal couple.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
Liam keeps joking about it on Twitter.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
Noun
Despite that underlying tension, kids play on the street outside while the large family has a dynamic like any other — noisily squabbling, joking, or in the case of the matriarchal grandmother, Mariam (Hiam Abbass), preparing a meal in a kitchen plagued by constant utility outages.
—David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2026
The president has long bristled at the otherwise customary joking at his expense by celebrity comedians.
—Dennis Romero, NBC news, 28 Apr. 2026
Here opposites — classy and brassy — are distractions, with odd-couple joking substituting for something more substantial.
—Frank Rizzo, Variety, 23 Apr. 2026
There was none of the usual laughing and joking.
—Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Lindsay says that Jesse was serious about asking, but that the make-out would be a joking make-out.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 4 Mar. 2026
The women’s team declined their joking invitation and had to explain comments directed at them.
—Dave Hyde, Sun Sentinel, 28 Feb. 2026
The tiny macaque, born on July 26, is often spotted clutching a plush toy from IKEA and has melted hearts across the internet, inspiring a wave of comments from fans half-joking about booking flights to Japan to check on him.
—Joshua Mellin, Travel + Leisure, 27 Feb. 2026
Harry Styles is ready to do some late-night joking.
—Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 23 Feb. 2026
Verb
After a while, my joking friend picked up on the other friend’s energy and apologized.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 18 May 2026
The two have grown close as a regular double-play duo, constantly joking and laughing together in the clubhouse and on the field.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 16 May 2026
The DaniMation Entertainment founder also responded to Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson using the word twice while joking about NBA’s Draymond Green during Netflix’s The Roast of Kevin Hart.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 15 May 2026
The Grammy-winning rapper addressed the viral clip in a post shared on X, joking about the situation while acknowledging the public attention surrounding the moment.
—Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 14 May 2026
But Fonda was simply joking, the actress and activist said while kicking off the opening night of the TCM Classic Film Festival on April 30.
—Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 1 May 2026
Clark's comment prompted joking responses on social media.
—Jackson Thompson Outkick, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2026
Fox News host Jesse Watters was escorted away from King Charles III and Queen Camilla after joking with the Queen about gun violence at the state dinner welcoming the royal couple.
—Theresa Braine, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2026
Liam keeps joking about it on Twitter.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joking
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
Verb
-
Gosling, of course, was kidding.—
Jake Coyle,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
-
Just kidding, but that would’ve been awesome.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
All the thespian’s chemistry felt less like castmates promoting a production and more like siblings teasing one another out of deep affection.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
18 May 2026
-
Luther Ford’s start in this industry began with a teasing dare from his relatives.—
Lily Ford,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
Adjective
-
Now, in a more intimate setting, the sullen and sometimes-sarcastic shadings of this longtime singer-songwriter should hark back to Folds’ fledgling days on the alt-music scene.—
David L. Coddon,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 May 2026
-
In addition to Miranda's scathing remarks to Andy (Anne Hathaway) while trying to complete seemingly impossible tasks, Emily (Emily Blunt) and Nigel (Stanley Tucci) taught her how to navigate office politics with their own sarcastic comments.—
Christopher Rudolph,
PEOPLE,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
But anatomically speaking, this is absolute nonsense.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
-
Travelers say they're done listening to the nonsense they've been fed.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
Adjective
-
To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country!—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
By widening the lens, Clark is able to redirect the book’s gaze from the mother toward a quizzical, sometimes critical, but not unaffectionate portrait of two generations of political activism, with the attendant self-involvement and domestic negligence.—
James Wood,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
-
Carpenter responded with a quizzical frown.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Joking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joking. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
