as in prank
a playful or mischievous act intended as a joke
friends had left the risqué message on his voice mail as a practical joke
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Recent Examples of practical joke
At a lavish country house party, a practical joke appears to have gone horribly, murderously wrong.
—
Jake Kanter, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
With over 300 episodes to shoot, there was time for some practical jokes.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025
This is all some practical joke that’s being played on me.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Jordan had thought he’d been set up for a practical joke.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for practical joke
Jake Kanter, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
With over 300 episodes to shoot, there was time for some practical jokes.
—Jordan Hoffman, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Sep. 2025
This is all some practical joke that’s being played on me.
—Michael Nied, People.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Jordan had thought he’d been set up for a practical joke.
—Mike Dojc, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for practical joke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for practical joke
Noun
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No vicious prank call, either (thankfully).—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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New York Jets rookie tight end Kenyon Sadiq thought one of the most important calls of his life was a prank call.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Lemon was also the Trojans’ primary return man during his sophomore and junior seasons and was even used on a trick play against Oregon this season that resulted in a 24-yard touchdown pass to then-freshman Tanook Hines.—
Haley Sawyer,
Oc Register,
24 Apr. 2026
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The trio of Pastrnak, Elias Lindholm and Geekie can be trick-or-treat and Sturm was well aware of that when the series began.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Archibald has experience in all of those roles in his 23-year career in education that includes teaching 13 years in the classroom, working 10 years in administration as an assistant athletic director and coaching for all of that time.—
Rick Armstrong,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
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The Honma experience quickly became a disastrous one for Rose, and while McLaren could end up being the next great golf brand, his taking another chance on a brand that has proven exactly nothing in the golf space is questionable, at best.—
Mark Harris OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Then the afternoon can be all about playing at Gulf Islands Waterpark, going on a shrimp boat tour, exploring the Mississippi Aquarium, or zip-lining at an adventure park.—
Kara Williams,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
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Cozy Winter Lodging Any winter adventure is best capped off by a relaxing evening back at your cabin or resort.—
Condé Nast Traveler,
Condé Nast Traveler,
25 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Practical joke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/practical%20joke. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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