noun

pun

puhn

noun

A joke that plays on a word's different meanings or on words that sound alike.

"He can never resist a bad pun."

""A bicycle can't stand on its own because it's two-tired" is a classic pun."

verb

To make a joke by playing on the sound or meaning of words.

"She punned on his name all afternoon."

How to Use Pun

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA play on words, often groan-worthy.

Common pairings

make a pun no pun intended terrible pun

punned past tense, puns plural, puns plural, Puns plural, puns singular

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He can never resist a bad _____.

Likely derived from an older word meaning "to pound" or "beat," from the idea of hammering words together.