as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
the senator deftly inserted some smart one-liners into an otherwise sober speech
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Recent Examples of one-liner
The deadpan one-liners exaggerating his strength, speed and toughness to absurd levels, turned Norris into one of the internet’s first global memes.
—
Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
With his roundhouse kicks, tough-guy one-liners and a formidable moral compass, Chuck Norris delivered kick-ass heroes for years on screens large and small, cementing himself in pop culture back in the 1980s.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Even the most promising characters, like a self-aware God with anxiety issues, fizzled out and were left to deliver undercooked one-liners.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
Marsden and González make their suave movie star turns look easy, looking comfortable wielding weapons of any sort from an arsenal that ranges from wicked smirks, and killer one-liners to plenty of guns.
—Stephen Saito, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for one-liner
Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026
With his roundhouse kicks, tough-guy one-liners and a formidable moral compass, Chuck Norris delivered kick-ass heroes for years on screens large and small, cementing himself in pop culture back in the 1980s.
—Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2026
Even the most promising characters, like a self-aware God with anxiety issues, fizzled out and were left to deliver undercooked one-liners.
—Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 18 Mar. 2026
Marsden and González make their suave movie star turns look easy, looking comfortable wielding weapons of any sort from an arsenal that ranges from wicked smirks, and killer one-liners to plenty of guns.
—Stephen Saito, Variety, 16 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for one-liner
Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-liner
Noun
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No this is not a joke…Retro Weather Channel is officially back!—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2026
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The response to the outcry led to even more jokes online.—
Bennett Conlin,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Bauers clearly hit the base square in the middle, and the call was quickly overturned, leading to laughs from both managers, the Rays’ Kevin Cash and the Brewers’ Pat Murphy.—
Paul Sullivan,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
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Write a quick Easter joke on a sheet of paper and include it in your kids' lunch boxes the week of Easter for a sweet midday laugh, caption an Instagram post, or leave some surprise puns inside Easter eggs at the hunt.—
Nellah Bailey McGough,
Southern Living,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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There was none of the usual laughing and joking.—
Mario Cortegana,
New York Times,
20 Mar. 2026
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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
Cite this Entry
“One-liner.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/one-liner. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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