: a joke only understood by the few people who know what it refers to
Examples of private joke in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the WebThis gallows humor amounts to a national private joke — perhaps never intended to be taken seriously (not with characters named Dementus, Scrotus, and Rictus Erectus) except by comic-book fanatics emboldened by cinematic representation.—Armond White, National Review, 24 May 2024 Two women sharing a weirdly private joke in a public place.—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 25 May 2023 But in rare photos that capture King breaking into a huge, uninhibited grin, Belafonte is often at his side, hugging him and sharing some private joke.—John Blake, CNN, 25 Apr. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'private joke.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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