as in joke
something said or done to cause laughter
a close-knit family constantly exchanging lighthearted joshes at the dinner table
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as in to joke
to make jokes
a very outgoing man who joshes with everyone he meets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of josh
Demetrios Matheou, HollywoodReporter, 22 Nov. 2025
Cheryl — who jumped in the mosh pit briefly at the first party — hung out in the back, sitting on her walker and gently joshing Erika’s young son for wearing earplugs while a singer screamed into the microphone.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 13 Nov. 2025
Anatole is a painter, an artform which photographer Lucien good-naturedly joshes him will soon be obsolete.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 27 May 2025
See which companies are just joshing on social media — and which one has a real deal for you!
—Brendan Le, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
The family joshing and loving is great fun here; both Liss and Montana are terrific, live-wire young performers, thanks surely in part to Alex Mallory’s direction, and Rifai has given them a banquet of vibrant lines.
—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 12 Feb. 2025
Hudson’s accordion seems to come strolling in from a sidewalk serenade to meet Helm’s amused, exasperated vocal, joshing him along with countermelodies, trills and wheezily encouraging chords.
—Jon Pareles, New York Times, 24 Jan. 2025
Elwood experiences some of the usual rigors of prison and reform school: the bullying, the joshing around, the discipline, the abuse.
—K. Austin Collins, The Atlantic, 13 Dec. 2024
Bale, speaking in a bland, hollow voice that has the slightest hint of frat-boy joshing, delivers a piece of polished, satiric archness that goes well beyond the obvious allegorical gag (capitalism = murder) into ... what, exactly?
—Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 9 Mar. 2024
Verb
Cranston and Essiedu convey a father-son bond of unusual closeness — hugging, play-fighting, joshing; but this physical proximity will be repeated at the end of the play to devastatingly different effect.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for josh
Noun
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If that means being the frequent butt of jokes for his age, that's fine, too.—
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Try to ski with a friend, who might distract me with a story or a joke.—
Verb
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There’s an adults-only section and a large, warm pool that kids love.—
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Literally toxic lesbians — kidding.—
Noun
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The laughs came thanks to some ace-level hosts.—
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The cops have a good laugh with her.—
Verb
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In August 2025, the company announced plans to enter the automotive sector and teased two concept cars that drew heavy comparisons to the Bugatti Chiron and Rolls-Royce Cullinan.—
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Also at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Cyrus teased a potential return to the beloved, wig-wearing character.—
Noun
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Cole follows up with a joking request to appear on an interlude on the forthcoming project, then asks whether West could send him a care package of clothes — which West agrees to — before exiting the stage.—
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Our poll’s options include a joking reference to Dan Marino.—
Noun
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At the climactic sally, six aerial bombs were dropped; none scored a direct hit, but their detonations damaged the hull so severely that the ship sank in 21 minutes.—
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Prices of stocks and bonds, along with long-term interest rates, have oscillated up and down in response to the daily verbal sallies from the White House.—
Cite this Entry
“Josh.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/josh. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
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