as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
by the standards of today's no-holds-barred satire, Will Rogers' homespun japes about politicians seem awfully gentle
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in to joke
to make jokes
the characters in Oscar Wilde's plays jape with a readiness and sophistication that is rarely, if ever, encountered in real life
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of jape
Scott Tobias, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2025
Merry japes ensue, with Madea convincing Levy and Co. to don disguises in a bid to oust the criminal businessmen.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2025
Perhaps that’s why Hook’s japes hold a kernel of wisdom; the knowledge that when all else fails, finding the fun in absurd chaos (say, on a quiet London street) is an apt response to a chaotic world.
—Daniel Seifert, JSTOR Daily, 16 July 2025
The curators know who the target audience is: people who still get a kick out of decades-old barf japes.
—Patrick Sauer, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Sep. 2024
This one happens to run on digital blood spatter, bootleg CGI and japes about genitalia, but the animus behind these films is nostalgia for the kind of pounding marquee movies of the 1980s and ‘90s, when the men were muscly and the misogyny was cool with everyone.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023
But as the capital merry-go-round spun its peccadilloes, scandals and ballyhooed promises, his jaunty baritone restored order with bipartisan japes and irreverent songs to deflate the preening ego and the Big Idea. Presidents from Eisenhower to Trump caught the flak.
—Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2023
Characterizing universes in which this kind of informaiotn transmission can take place might be a useful jape for astrobiologists with time on their hands.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2023
wsj.com, 12 May 2023
Noun
Before this fifth season put him closer to the center of the action, Roddy had undoubtedly been a misfit among misfits at Slough House, a desk jockey who would hold court at his computer, issuing snide japes at anyone within earshot.
—Scott Tobias, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2025
Merry japes ensue, with Madea convincing Levy and Co. to don disguises in a bid to oust the criminal businessmen.
—Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Sep. 2025
Perhaps that’s why Hook’s japes hold a kernel of wisdom; the knowledge that when all else fails, finding the fun in absurd chaos (say, on a quiet London street) is an apt response to a chaotic world.
—Daniel Seifert, JSTOR Daily, 16 July 2025
The curators know who the target audience is: people who still get a kick out of decades-old barf japes.
—Patrick Sauer, Smithsonian Magazine, 17 Sep. 2024
This one happens to run on digital blood spatter, bootleg CGI and japes about genitalia, but the animus behind these films is nostalgia for the kind of pounding marquee movies of the 1980s and ‘90s, when the men were muscly and the misogyny was cool with everyone.
—Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023
But as the capital merry-go-round spun its peccadilloes, scandals and ballyhooed promises, his jaunty baritone restored order with bipartisan japes and irreverent songs to deflate the preening ego and the Big Idea. Presidents from Eisenhower to Trump caught the flak.
—Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2023
Characterizing universes in which this kind of informaiotn transmission can take place might be a useful jape for astrobiologists with time on their hands.
—The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 28 Feb. 2023
Verb
He is reported to have participated in a pestilential online gun culture, replete with tasteless japing about mass shootings.
—wsj.com, 12 May 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jape
Noun
-
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts got in on the joke after his team captured the National League pennant for the fifth time in the past nine years.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
-
Students embraced the joke, and before long, every game began with hundreds of tortillas soaring into the night sky as the whistle blew for kickoff.—
Jessica Safavimehr,
Southern Living,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
And his sense of humor douses jest over images that probably shouldn’t be funny.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
29 May 2025
-
The big picture: Parody accounts from Mount Rainier and Mount Hood are trading playful taunts and humorous one-upmanship, comparing body counts and jesting about whether size matters.—
Christine Clarridge,
Axios,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The piece signals transformation, but the spontaneous laugh turns luxury into connection; by the red-gown reveal, the necklace reads less like a trophy and more like a charm that’s worked.—
Lilah Ramzi,
Vogue,
25 Oct. 2025
-
According to showrunner and executive producer David Mirkin, these laughs sometimes just serve as a tool to make sure the episodes are the correct length for broadcast.—
Grace Dean,
Space.com,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Jones eventually got into his joking bag, and Bleek took that opportunity to seriously set the record straight one last time.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
15 Oct. 2025
-
And their joking comments about their relationship never help the matter.—
Lizzie Lanuza,
StyleCaster,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Jape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jape. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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