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.
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Recent Examples of joking
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
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
Eduard Cauich,
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 2026
There were quips and laughs during the postgame news conference, but Skubal’s overall tone was hardly joking.
—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
25 June 2026
Stickler may or may not have hinted about the end of the relationship in April, joking about an ex-boyfriend.
—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
Thursday evening, joking about his suspension last year for his comments about reactions to conservator commentator Charlie Kirk’s death.
—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
20 June 2026
Sudano said his son was a good kid who was outgoing, always joking and good-hearted.
—
Kerri Corrado,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
The post also included a video of Ron sitting at a dinner table joking about salmon.
—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
While Diana was clearly joking in her letters with Stamp, the former Princess of Wales was famously open about her mental health—which has had a trickle-down effect of her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, being open about theirs.
—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
9 June 2026
Last year, a seventeen-year-old boy in New Jersey allegedly drove his car into two teen-age girls, killing them both, after joking on a live stream about women getting raped by Tate.
—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
Noun
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
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
Verb
Following the convincing 3-0 victory over Czechia while resting some starters, the atmosphere on the Mexican team has been very relaxed, with several videos showing the players joking around with each other.
—
Eduard Cauich,
Los Angeles Times,
30 June 2026
There were quips and laughs during the postgame news conference, but Skubal’s overall tone was hardly joking.
—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
25 June 2026
Stickler may or may not have hinted about the end of the relationship in April, joking about an ex-boyfriend.
—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
Thursday evening, joking about his suspension last year for his comments about reactions to conservator commentator Charlie Kirk’s death.
—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
20 June 2026
Sudano said his son was a good kid who was outgoing, always joking and good-hearted.
—
Kerri Corrado,
CBS News,
17 June 2026
The post also included a video of Ron sitting at a dinner table joking about salmon.
—
Angelique Brenes,
PEOPLE,
11 June 2026
While Diana was clearly joking in her letters with Stamp, the former Princess of Wales was famously open about her mental health—which has had a trickle-down effect of her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, being open about theirs.
—
Rachel Burchfield,
InStyle,
9 June 2026
Last year, a seventeen-year-old boy in New Jersey allegedly drove his car into two teen-age girls, killing them both, after joking on a live stream about women getting raped by Tate.
—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for joking
Adjective
-
This is taken as evidence of his status, not a sarcastic criticism.
-
On Monday night, Contreras was ejected in the second inning after a check-swing strikeout prompted him to give a sarcastic ABS challenge gesture at the umpire, earning an instant boot.
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.
-
No matter what happened, Dunham could not seem to help posting through it, her public persona one of infinite jesting confession.
Verb
-
Just kidding, but seeing Angela’s team sweep Shamea’s at the Bailey Bowl basketball tournament was almost as satisfying as knowing Charles got to witness his former team’s historic win in person.
-
Room was kidding, but someone inside Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday night had the power to make that happen.
Verb
-
After teasing us for a while, Volvo finally showed off the EX30 for real in 2023.
-
Nike has been teasing its forthcoming partnership with the German team throughout this World Cup.
Adjective
-
To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country!
Noun
-
Until recently, that would have sounded like absolute nonsense.
-
There weren’t meetings with executives about tone and mood and all this nonsense.
Adjective
-
Dozens of media outlets, from international agencies to local TV stations to true crime podcasters, were inside the Lexington County courthouse to again chronicle every forehead rub and quizzical look from the once rich and imposing Southern lawyer.
-
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.
Cite this Entry
“Joking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joking. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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