joker
UK /ˈd͡ʒəʊkə/ · US /ˈd͡ʒoʊkɚ/ noun, proper noun
Forms jokers the Joker
- noun A person who makes jokes.
- noun (slang) A funny person.
- noun A jester.
- noun 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.
- noun (figurative) Something kept in reserve that can be used to gain an advantage; a trump card.
- noun An unspecified, vaguely disreputable person. “Some joker keeps throwing eggs at my windows.”
- noun A loser. “Don't waste your breath on these jokers round here.”
- noun (New Zealand, colloquial) A man.
- proper noun A fictional villain of DC Comics, noted for his insanity and cunning, who either wears clown makeup or is disfigured to appear as such, and who is archenemy of Batman.
Synonyms
court jester fool jester clown buffoon comedian comic cutup funnyman gagman gagster giber humorist jackpudding jokester wag wit turkey
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.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “joker”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details