jokes

1. 1
   noun

   Plural of joke.

   The comedian's jokes landed perfectly with the late-night crowd.

   A few of his jokes fell flat at the wedding reception.

   Note

   A regular plural, and a spelling shared with the verb form in "she jokes" and with a British slang adjective. The noun is the one that takes a number or determiner (two jokes, his jokes), while the adjective follows a linking verb (that was jokes). A quick test is to try "many" in front: "many jokes" works only for the noun.

2. 2
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present indicative of joke.

   My uncle jokes that he single-handedly invented the internet.

   She jokes around with her coworkers during every coffee break.

   Note

   The verb behind "he jokes" is normally intransitive: one jokes about something, jokes with someone, or jokes around. An older transitive use let a speaker joke a person, meaning tease or rally them. That use is now dated, so avoid it in modern writing unless an old-fashioned flavor is the aim.

3. 3
   adjectiveslangUK

   Funny or entertaining, in a way that makes people laugh.

   The whole stand-up set was jokes from start to finish.

   Her stories about uni are absolutely jokes.

   Similarhilarious, funny, hysterical, entertaining

   Oppositeboring, dull, unfunny

   Note

   Laughter rather than quality is the point here. The word pairs readily with other slang intensifiers, as in "that video is bare jokes," where bare means "very." It usually comes after is or was rather than before a noun. In context, if something is called jokes and the people around it are laughing, this is the meaning in play.

4. 4
   adjectiveslangUK

   Really good; excellent or impressive in quality.

   Their new album is jokes, the best thing they've done.

   The seats we got were jokes, right at the front.

   Similaramazing, brilliant, excellent, awesome, wicked

   Oppositeterrible, awful, rubbish

   Note

   Slang that looks like a plural noun but behaves as an adjective. It takes intensifiers (so jokes, totally jokes) and forms its comparative as more jokes. Because it overlaps with the "funny" meaning, speakers sometimes spell out which one they intend. Lily Allen, praising a song in 2012, called it jokes "in a good way." Keep it to casual speech among people who share the slang.

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