to pun
2
5.5
To make a joke using the different meanings of a word or words that sound the same
- verb
- /pʌn/
:
hacer un juego de palabras
- At the comedy club, the comedian was known for his ability to pun on various topics, leaving the audience in stitches.
Examples
-
My good man, are you by any chance punning?
-
How will you pun?
Academic text (2017) -
You were just punning?
Fiction book (2001) -
I'm punning bilingually.
-
Ruscha does concede that he may be punning unintentionally: "Some of these things are actually done by me unconsciously."
Academic text (2005) -
He loves to pun during his speeches, making everyone laugh with clever wordplay.
-
When she joked about baking the cake, she couldn't resist a little pun about how it would take the 'cake' in the competition.
How Witty
Surface Forms
Etymology
The verb pun comes from the same idea of making a small 'point' with words, like a tiny point that surprises the listener. That's why to pun is to make a 'sharp' or clever joke by using different meanings or similar sounds.