wordplay
14
6.0
- noun
- /ˈwɜrdˌpleɪ/
:
juego de palabras
- The comedian's routine included clever wordplay that had the audience laughing.
- ironic wordplay
- humor and wordplay
Examples
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In Levine's voice, the poem, full of wordplay, ironic jabs, and references to literary theory, sounded spectacular.
Academic text (2013) -
Chants, songs, poetry, and other forms of wordplay are effective ways to explore music and language.
Academic text (2003) -
You two sure are good at wordplay.
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I just like the wordplay.
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It's all for the sake of wordplay.
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Price, not normally known for his rap, used rhymes and wordplay to welcome Miranda.
Academic text (2016) -
Clever wordplay.
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His musical style is distinctly Southern hip-hop, but his wordplay and content transcend a single region.
Blog text (30) -
Her talent for humorous wordplay, repartee, and dialogue was ill served by her lyric efforts.
Academic text (2000) -
Like Carroll, Carter uses wordplay to quicken the intellect and unlock new imaginative doors.
Academic text (2016)
Synonyms
89
4.8
A joke that uses the different meanings of a word or words that sound the same
5
7.2
A clever short remark meant to make people laugh
1
7.0
Making jokes by using words that mean more than one thing or sound alike
1
4.1
A clever or funny use of words to make jokes
1
5.0
The ability to make quick clever remarks that make people laugh
A clever use of words that sound alike to make a joke
Antonyms
How Witty
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Wordplay is simply made of the words word and play, where play means 'to have fun' or 'to joke'. So the word pictures treating words like toys you can twist and joke with, which is why it means the witty or clever use of language.