Dictionary

punch line en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈpʌntʃˌlaɪn/

Etymology

1910s, probably American. It was probably meant to be likened to a quick, sharp punch.

Meanings

1. The final part of a joke; the word, sentence, or exchange of sentences that is intended to be funny and provokes laughter from the listeners.
   • That was quite a build-up for such a puny punch line.
   • While explaining a punchline might initially kill the joke, Roberts claims it can shed light on the use of humour in language and help students remember the gag for future use. 2014 August 20, Matthew Jenkin, “Why language learners don't have to miss the punchline”, in The Guardian:
2. (broadly) The butt of a joke; laughing stock.
   • The women are a phenomenon; the men are a punchline. 2019 July 8, Tom Dart, “The US men's team are now a punchline. Which is a little unfair”, in The Guardian:
   • (It didn’t help when Microsoft relaunched its Bing search engine with OpenAI’s technology inside, instantly ending Bing’s decade-long run as a punchline.) 2023 March 31, Kevin Roose, “Google C.E.O. Sundar Pichai on the A.I. Moment: ‘You Will See Us Be Bold’”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
3. (broadly) A final, concluding statement that an explanation has been leading up to; a conclusion.
   • The final, the Munich-based liberal newspaper writes, was a “fitting punchline” to a great tournament. 2014 July 14, Philip Oltermann, “World Cup final press reaction: Germany’s win a ‘fitting punchline’”, in The Guardian:

Forms

Translations (30)

nl pointe (final part of a joke) · de Schlusspunkt (final, concluding statement) · de Abschluss (final, concluding statement) · it battuta conclusiva (final part of a joke) · eo pintumo (final part of a joke) · fi johtopäätös (final, concluding statement) · fr chute (final part of a joke) · ar نُكْتَة (final part of a joke) · pl puenta (final, concluding statement) · arz إِفِّيه (final part of a joke) · fi loppuhuipennus (final part of a joke) · de Schlussbemerkung (final, concluding statement) · pl puenta (final part of a joke) · hu poén (final part of a joke) · nl clou (final part of a joke) · fa نکته (final part of a joke) · it culmine (final part of a joke) · es remate (final part of a joke) · es broche (final, concluding statement) · it battuta finale (final part of a joke) · fr mot de la fin (final, concluding statement) · hu csattanó (final part of a joke) · ru соль (final part of a joke) · de witziger Schlusspunkt (final part of a joke) · de Schluss eines Witzes (final part of a joke) · ja 落ち (final part of a joke) · ja 笑いどころ (final part of a joke) · de Pointe (final part of a joke) · da pointe (final part of a joke) · sv poäng (final part of a joke)