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
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Recent Examples of jape
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
Director Aaron Posner’s organizing notion proves far better suited to a short skit than a full 150 minutes of expository twists — and antiquated japes.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 22 Jan. 2020
The coffee table part is a funny jape about the design’s similarity to a piece of midcentury furniture, an undulating shape raised on legs; but the kunsthalle part is more telling.
—Christopher Knight, latimes.com, 9 July 2019
Local guffaw nuts can hit up the annual jape show that is the Orlando Comedy Festival (6 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday, Hilton Garden Inn at SeaWorld, 6850 Westwood Blvd. in Orlando, $20-$35, orlandocomedyfestival.com).
—Trevor Fraser, orlandosentinel.com, 19 June 2019
Bankruptcy jape Elon Musk sought to lighten the mood after one of the worst weeks for Tesla Inc. in its 15-year history with a series of April Fool’s Day tweets about bankruptcy.
—Bloomberg.com, 2 Apr. 2018
wsj.com, 12 May 2023
Noun
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
Director Aaron Posner’s organizing notion proves far better suited to a short skit than a full 150 minutes of expository twists — and antiquated japes.
—Peter Marks, Washington Post, 22 Jan. 2020
The coffee table part is a funny jape about the design’s similarity to a piece of midcentury furniture, an undulating shape raised on legs; but the kunsthalle part is more telling.
—Christopher Knight, latimes.com, 9 July 2019
Local guffaw nuts can hit up the annual jape show that is the Orlando Comedy Festival (6 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday, Hilton Garden Inn at SeaWorld, 6850 Westwood Blvd. in Orlando, $20-$35, orlandocomedyfestival.com).
—Trevor Fraser, orlandosentinel.com, 19 June 2019
Bankruptcy jape Elon Musk sought to lighten the mood after one of the worst weeks for Tesla Inc. in its 15-year history with a series of April Fool’s Day tweets about bankruptcy.
—Bloomberg.com, 2 Apr. 2018
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
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While recalling the series of events leading up to the reveal, Brynn claimed that Erin had looped her in on the joke.Esther Kang, People.com, 20 Nov. 2024
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But for my money–and that’s a joke–the best show on the radio might be Marketplace.Outside Online, Outside Online, 13 Nov. 2024
Verb
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While Black jested about the possibility of a sequel in his video, the concept has come up in the past.Tommy McArdle, Peoplemag, 26 Sep. 2024
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At a Foo Fighters concert last weekend, the Nirvana alum appeared to jest that the pop star doesn’t perform live at her own shows.Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 27 June 2024
Noun
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Will the gift elicit a momentary laugh and then end up in the trash or being donated to a thrift store?Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
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The light-hearted gesture brought plenty of laughs, highlighting how humor can boost morale in an office setting.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near jape
Cite this Entry
“Jape.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jape. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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