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😏 A witty joke 😏 To joke wittily
to wisecrack

to wisecrack

1 7.3
To make a short funny or sarcastic remark meant to be clever
  • verb
  • /ˈwaɪzˌkræk/
  • Informal
translation icon : soltar una ocurrencia
  • If I got to come back, I would need to still be somebody who could wisecrack, because my favorite part of the job was that if anybody was going to tease anybody about their diva superhero outfit or whatever, it would be me.

And so I thought wisecracking would be a good way to describe him.

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Examples

  • Only now can we see that the double-talk of Max and Al was not just wisecracking to rile the locals and kill time.

    Academic text (2017)

  • Because of the freakishness of the boy's death, one of the boys in the back row, Hoover, couldn't resist wisecracking.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • And so I thought wisecracking would be a good way to describe him.

    Film Courage

  • "What about the screaming?" wisecracked Fiorentino.

    Blog text (26)

  • They're looking for escape. "I didn't know the mall was that exciting," Karen wisecracked, uncomfortable, but Bill didn't laugh.

    Fiction book (1994)

  • While waiting for the show to start, she made a wisecrack that had everyone laughing.

  • During the meeting, he often wisecracked to lighten the mood, making his colleagues smile.

  • At the party, he couldn't resist a wisecrack about the food, which got a chuckle from the guests.

Synonyms

to crack
vsto wisecrack
  • Informal
168 4.8

To say a short funny or clever remark

is often ironic or deliberately sarcastic rather than merely sudden
to poke fun at
vsto wisecrack
  • Offensive
23 3.4

To make jokes about someone, sometimes to be playful and sometimes to be unkind

is generally a short clever remark not aimed at a person
to quip
vsto wisecrack
19 6.7

To say something short and clever to make people laugh

is often ironic or sarcastic rather than only clever
to crack a joke
vsto wisecrack
  • Informal
10 2.9

Tell a joke to make people laugh

aims more for witty irony than just making people laugh
to snark
vsto wisecrack
  • Specialized
4 8.4

To make sarcastic mocking remarks that are often rude

tends to be humorous or playful rather than mainly critical

How Witty

to wisecrack
  • Informal
1 7.3
to remark
97 2.1
to say
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

wisecrack infinitive
wisecracked past
wisecracked past participle
wisecracking present participle
wisecracks third person singular

Etymology

Wisecrack comes from the two simple words wise ('smart') and crack ('a short, sharp sound'). To wisecrack is to make that quick 'crack' of smartness, so the verb means to say a short, clever, or sarcastic remark.