Thesaurus results for JOSHING

joshing 1 of 3

adjective

as in joking

marked by or expressive of mild or good-natured teasing a joshing response to my earnest question

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

joshing

2 of 3

noun

as in joke

good-natured teasing or exchanging of clever remarks for all his joshing, he can be very serious when he needs to be

Synonyms & Similar Words

joshing

3 of 3

verb

present participle of josh

as in kidding

to make fun of in a good-natured way don't get all hot and bothered! I'm just joshing you

Synonyms & Similar Words

as in jesting

to make jokes a very outgoing man who joshes with everyone he meets

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of joshing

Noun

The humorous joshing and teasing that came out of their initial love just gets worse and worse. — H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025

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. — 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for joshing

Noun

And honestly, that’s kind of the best joke there is — some classic America’s Funniest Home Videos type stuff.

— Maria Bamford, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026
Sumaila has a running joke about it, borrowed from an old British comedy about a heist gone wrong.

— Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of joke

Verb

But Guthrie wasn’t kidding, slipping into a yellow gingham dress before joining her co-hosts on the Today Show Plaza to greet visitors.

— Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026
Just kidding, but seeing Angela’s team sweep Shamea’s at the Bailey Bowl basketball tournament was almost as satisfying as knowing Charles got to witness his former team’s historic win in person.

— Ile-Ife Okantah, Vulture, 22 June 2026

Definition of kidding

Verb

To this day, Ryan still isn’t sure if Hanks was being serious or joking.

— Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 21 Aug. 2026
The beverage brands Liquid Death and Garage Beer teamed up to create the ad, which features former NFL player Jason Kelce joking about using people’s pee to cool the AI data centers.

— Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of joking

Noun

There was nothing particularly novel about the show’s premise, but the scripts were refreshingly dense with jokes, prioritizing laughs over contrived drama or seasonlong relationship arcs.

— Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
The trooper is conscious, in good spirits and able to have conversations, laugh and smile, according to Sgt.

— Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of laugh

Verb

Professional athletes have joked about it in the past, with even all-time NBA great LeBron James teasing at a potential college sports journey post-retirement—albeit as more of a joke than an actual plan.

— Joshua Hong, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
Netflix has dropped a first look at the sixth and final season teasing that answer.

— Jackie Strause, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of teasing

Noun

Hudson showed some subtle support for the jesting knocks to her boyfriend by reposting a clip of his final joke shared on Fox News' official X page.

— Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 18 May 2026
No matter what happened, Dunham could not seem to help posting through it, her public persona one of infinite jesting confession.

— Madeline Leung Coleman, Vulture, 14 Apr. 2026

Definition of jesting

Browse Nearby Words

joshes

joshing

jostle

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Joshing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/joshing. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of joshing

adjective

noun

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

conscientious

Popular in Grammar & Usage

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Popular in Wordplay

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes