one-liner

noun

one-lin·​er ˌwən-ˈlī-nər How to pronounce one-liner (audio)
1
: a very succinct joke or witticism
2
: a succinct or meaningful and especially accurate statement

Examples of one-liner in a Sentence

the senator deftly inserted some smart one-liners into an otherwise sober speech
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Midway through the 97th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday (March 2), host Conan O’Brien fired off a Kendrick Lamar one-liner that once again made Drake the butt of the joke — this time at the Oscars. Jason Lipshutz, Billboard, 3 Mar. 2025 The comic had plenty of movie-specific one-liners that cracked up the audience of Hollywood A-listers. Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 2 Mar. 2025 Bruce Vilanch is a walking oxymoron: a legendary ghostwriter best known for feeding one-liners to hosts and presenters at the Academy Awards, Grammys, Emmys and Tonys. Maer Roshan, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2025 Danny DeVito was one of the guest coaches and cracked off one-liners. Eric Stephens, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for one-liner

Word History

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of one-liner was in 1962

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Cite this Entry

“One-liner.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/one-liner. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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