joker

noun

jok·​er ˈjō-kər 

1

a

: a person given to joking : wag

b

: fellow, guy

especially : an insignificant, obnoxious, or incompetent person

a shame to let a joker like this win

—Harold Robbins

2

: a playing card added to a pack as a wild card or as the highest-ranking card

3

a(1)

: an ambiguous or apparently immaterial clause inserted in a legislative bill to make it inoperative or uncertain in some respect

(2)

: an unsuspected, misleading, or misunderstood clause, phrase, or word in a document that nullifies or greatly alters it

b

: something (such as an expedient or stratagem) held in reserve to gain an end or escape from a predicament

c

: an unsuspected or not readily apparent fact, factor, or condition that thwarts or nullifies a seeming advantage

Synonyms

• card
• comedian
• comic
• droll
• farceur
• funnyman
• gagger
• gagman
• gagster
• humorist
• jester
• jokester
• wag
• wit

Examples of joker in a Sentence

Jokers are wild in this game.

I can't believe I let that joker beat me.

Some joker hit our car.

Recent Examples on the Web

Read the full Cancer Daily Horoscope Leo (July 23 - August 22) Playing practical joker? —USA TODAY, 2 Nov. 2024

These psychological and professional maneuverings are, from the start, shuffled madly by a joker in the deck, whose introduction to the story is a mark of Bodet’s cinematographic and comedic inspiration. —Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 9 July 2024

However, mandating five days in the office is like showing up to a poker game with a handful of jokers and expecting to win. —Dan Pontefract, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024

Having reshuffled this geographic deck of cards, the Enlightenment dealt the joker to Russia. —Robert Zaretsky, Foreign Affairs, 30 Dec. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1726, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

joker

noun

jok·​er ˈjō-kər 

1

: a person who jokes

2

: an extra card used in some card games

3

: a hidden or misleading part of an agreement that works to one party's disadvantage : catch

4

: human being, fellow

especially : an obnoxious or incompetent person