Dictionary

joker en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Australia) audio
• /ˈd͡ʒoʊkɚ/ (General-American)
• /ˈd͡ʒəʊkə/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From joke + -er, but in the sense of a playing card possibly by alteration of German Jucker, also the origin of the name of the card game euchre.

Meanings

1. A person who makes jokes.
2. (slang) A funny person.
3. A jester.
4. A playing card that features a picture of a joker (that is, a jester) and that may be used as a wild card in some card games.
5. (figuratively) Something kept in reserve that can be used to gain an advantage; a trump card.
   • Tash Wilson played her 'joker' , pulling her chair so close our legs were almost touching. 'Hey, Chris, do you want to go out sometime? All you've got to do is say the word.' 2012 January 1, Simon Packham, Silenced, Bonnier Publishing Fiction Ltd., →ISBN:
   • The director made me understand that my bubble of stardom could burst just as soon as it had been inflated if I didn't watch my attitude. Then he used his joker. I had an understudy so if I messed up or tried to create a scene, I would be summarily replaced. 2016 October 17, Dipo Adesida, My French Teacher Had an Igbo Accent: An Inspiring Collection of Memories, Memoirs and Mischiefs, Partridge Africa, →ISBN:
   • Rebus decided to use their joker. 'Mr Lintz made a phone call to this office. He was talking for over twenty minutes.' 2008 September 18, Ian Rankin, The Hanging Garden: The #1 bestselling series that inspired BBC One’s REBUS, Hachette UK, →ISBN:
6. An unspecified, vaguely disreputable person.
   • Some joker keeps throwing eggs at my windows.
7. An unspecified, vaguely disreputable person. ▸ A loser.
   • Don't waste your breath on these jokers round here.
8. (New-Zealand, colloquial) A man.
9. A clause in a contract that undermines its apparent provisions.
   • Discussion of contracts and the many provisions contained therein led to a vote making it the sense of the convention that manufacturers should use a simple sales contract, free from jokers. 1922, Farm Machinery and Equipment, page lxxxiii:
   • Then, sir, on page 12 of the agreement there is a joker clause, which provides for payments in addition to the ten per cent, […] 1939, Canadian Parliament, Official Report of Debates, House of Commons, volume 218, page 858:
   • The object of these provisions is to prevent insertion of "jokers" or "sleepers" in bills and securing passage under the false color of the title. 1958, Duncan Leroy Kennedy, Bill drafting, page 12:
   • Stone claimed that there was a Joker in the contract, one clause (No. 2) calling for two weeks' notice and another (No. 8) calling for payment on a par-day basis after the first two weeks. 1942, Billboard, volume 54, number 41, page 5:
10. A friendly unit that acts as a suspected hostile unit in a military excercise.
    • Joker - A friendly track or contact acting as a "suspect" track for exercise purposes only. (STANAG 1241) 1998, APP-6A: Military Symbols for Land-Based Systems, page 9:
11. The option, in a pub quiz, of selecting one particular round in which one's team will score double points.
    • We used our joker as soon as the topic of sports was announced, since we are sport experts.
12. A fairy chess piece that moves like the last piece that was moved by the opponent.
    • The problem is that it would be difficult to use a joker offensively since you could never know how it was going to move, meaning it’d be most useful setting it up for potential queen/rook captures to disincentivize your opponent from moving those pieces. 2018 October 12, aabicus, “My 7 Favorite Fairy Chess Pieces”, in The Daily SPUF:

Forms

Deriveds

big joker · cosmic joker · joker lap · little joker · practical joker · joker in the pack · jokeress · video joker

Descendants

jokl

Hypernyms

person

Hyponyms

prankster · droll · madcap · burlesquer · gagwriter · punner · pasquinader · ironist · lampooner · buffo · wiseacre · satirist · quipster · wisecracker · punster · idiot · fool · wit-cracker · caricaturist · jokesmith · bel esprit · epigrammatist · parodist

Relateds

witty · 🃟 · jest · ridicule · 🃏 · 🂿 · life and soul of the party · life of the party · joke

Synonyms

fool · wit · joker · court jester · buffoon · jokester · clown · cutup · wag · funnyman · gagster · gagman · clown · jackpudding · humorist · jester · comic · giber · clown · comedian

Translations (149)

yi לץ (person who makes jokes) · es guasón (person who makes jokes) · ru остря́чка (person who makes jokes) · fr blagueur (person who makes jokes) · uk джо́кер (playing card) · cmn 鬼牌 (playing card) · es comodín (playing card) · sq joker (playing card) · th โจ๊กเกอร์ (playing card) · gl carallán (person who makes jokes) · ckb نوکتەباز (person who makes jokes) · el μπαλαντέρ (playing card) · ca comodí (playing card) · oj joka (playing card) · be джо́кер (playing card) · ru шутни́ца (person who makes jokes) · nl joker (playing card) · ca jòquer (playing card) · ps ټوکي (person who makes jokes) · yue 皇牌 (playing card) · tr joker (playing card) · da spasmager (person who makes jokes) · lv jokdaris (person who makes jokes) · sv joker (playing card) · izh koiruin (person who makes jokes) · ota لطیفهجی (person who makes jokes) · ru джо́кер (playing card) · it buffone (person who makes jokes) · pt jóquer m melé (playing card) · hi जोकर (playing card) · it matta (playing card) · ar جُوكَر (playing card) · sl džoker (playing card) · eo ĵokero (playing card) · mt ċajtier (person who makes jokes) · it buffone di corte (person who makes jokes) · pl dżoker (playing card) · mk шегобијка (person who makes jokes) · sv narr (person who makes jokes) · es chistoso (person who makes jokes) · kk джокер (playing card) · fa-ira جوکِر (playing card) · sq hokatar (person who makes jokes) · ga fear na gcrúb (playing card) · de Jolly (playing card) · sv skojare (person who makes jokes) · mk џокер (playing card) · et jokker (playing card) · ky джокер (playing card) · mk зевзек (person who makes jokes) · uz masxaraboz (person who makes jokes) · fr farceur (person who makes jokes) · da joker (playing card) · th ตัวตลก (person who makes jokes) · fa-ira شوخ (person who makes jokes) · es humorista (person who makes jokes) · sl šaljivka (person who makes jokes) · ur جوکَر (playing card) · ga áilteoir (person who makes jokes) · sv skämtare (person who makes jokes) · mt buffu (person who makes jokes) · izh šuutkuri (person who makes jokes) · sh џо̀кер (playing card) · pt curinga (playing card) · pl żartowniś (person who makes jokes) · fi vitsailija (person who makes jokes) · cmn 百搭牌 (playing card) · sq gaztor (person who makes jokes) · mt buffa (person who makes jokes) · fi vitsiniekka (person who makes jokes) · nv jéíg (playing card) · la ioculātor (person who makes jokes) · he ג׳וֹקֶר (playing card) · sq shakaxhi (person who makes jokes) · am ፌዘኛ (person who makes jokes) · ka ხუმარა (person who makes jokes) · es chistosito (person who makes jokes) · bg шегаджи́йка (person who makes jokes) · pl joker (playing card) · pt humorista (person who makes jokes) · uz qiziqchi (person who makes jokes) · yue 小丑牌 (playing card) · pl dowcipniś (person who makes jokes) · sh džòker (playing card) · kk әзілкеш (person who makes jokes) · ga an buachaill mór (playing card) · be жартаўні́к (person who makes jokes) · nb joker (playing card) · mk шегобиец (person who makes jokes) · ja ジョーカー (playing card) · uz hazilkash (person who makes jokes) · bg шегоби́йка (person who makes jokes) · de Joker (playing card) · bg жо́кер (playing card) · uk жартівни́ця (person who makes jokes) · ky тамашакөй (person who makes jokes) · mr जोकर (playing card) · sq xhol (playing card) · de Spaßvogel (person who makes jokes) · uk жартівни́к (person who makes jokes) · cmn 皇牌 (playing card) · kk қалжыңбас (person who makes jokes) · ru остря́к (person who makes jokes) · bg шегоби́ец (person who makes jokes) · mi kēhua (playing card) · cs vtipálek (person who makes jokes) · ru шутни́к (person who makes jokes) · be жартаўні́ца (person who makes jokes) · sh šaljivac (person who makes jokes) · sh šutnik (person who makes jokes) · yi לצעכע (person who makes jokes) · es bromista (person who makes jokes) · sk žolík (playing card) · hu dzsóker (playing card) · eo ŝercemulo (person who makes jokes) · ko 조커 (playing card) · kk әзілқой (person who makes jokes) · fr joker (playing card) · fi jokeri (playing card) · pl błazen (person who makes jokes) · lo ໄພ້ໂຈກເກີ (playing card) · sh vragolan (person who makes jokes) · cs žolík (playing card) · lo ໂຈກເກີ (playing card) · cs šprýmař (person who makes jokes) · cmn 小丑牌 (playing card) · ro joker (playing card) · sk vtipkár (person who makes jokes) · th ไพ่โจ๊กเกอร์ (playing card) · mt ċajtiera (person who makes jokes) · tr latifeci (person who makes jokes) · izh hirvihammas (person who makes jokes) · hy ջոկեր (playing card) · lo ນັກຕະຫລົກ (person who makes jokes) · da spøgefugl (person who makes jokes) · bg джо́кер (playing card) · cs šprýmařka (person who makes jokes) · tg шӯх (person who makes jokes) · it jolly (playing card) · ga cleasaí (playing card) · yue 鬼牌 (playing card) · mt ġowker (playing card) · tr şakacı (person who makes jokes) · sl šaljivec (person who makes jokes) · da drillepind (person who makes jokes) · ka ჯოკერი (playing card) · bg шегаджи́я (person who makes jokes) · tg хазлбоз (person who makes jokes) · th นักแสดงตลก (person who makes jokes)