pun
Noun:
- A humorous play on words: A pun is a joke that exploits the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings, for humorous or rhetorical effect.
Verb:
- To make a pun: To make a joke or a clever remark that is a play on words.
Noun: The comedian's speech was full of clever puns."I'm reading a book on anti-gravity. It's impossible to put down!" is a classic pun.
Verb: He loves to pun, often making jokes about words that sound the same.The writer skillfully punned on the word "light" throughout the poem.
"To pun on something": To make a pun using a specific word or concept. The advertisement punned on the company's name to create a memorable slogan.
"A punning reference": A reference that involves or is characterized by a pun. The title of the article was a punning reference to a popular song.
Punster (n): A person who makes puns frequently. He's a notorious punster, always ready with a wordplay joke.
Punning (n/adj): The act or practice of making puns; characterized by puns. His punning wit made the lecture very entertaining.The article was written in a punning style.
- Wordplay: The witty exploitation of the meanings and ambiguities of words.
- Double entendre: A word or phrase open to two interpretations, one of which is usually risqué or indecent. (Note: This often has a more suggestive connotation than a pun.)
(Note: "Pun" is not typically used in phrasal verb constructions. The verb form is generally used intransitively or with "on.")
- "No pun intended": A phrase used to acknowledge that one has unintentionally made a pun, often to clarify that a double meaning was not meant as a joke.
- a humorous play on words
- I do it for the pun of it
- his constant punning irritated her
- make a play on words
- Japanese like to pun--their language is well suited to punning