Meaning of punch line | Babel Free

Definitions

1. The final part of a joke; the word, sentence, or exchange of sentences that is intended to be funny and provokes laughter from the listeners.
2. The butt of a joke; laughing stock.
   broadly
3. A final, concluding statement that an explanation has been leading up to; a conclusion.
   broadly

Equivalents

Examples

“That was quite a build-up for such a puny punch line.”

“While explaining a punchline might initially kill the joke, Roberts claims it can shed light on the use of humour in language and help students remember the gag for future use.”

“The women are a phenomenon; the men are a punchline.”

“(It didn’t help when Microsoft relaunched its Bing search engine with OpenAI’s technology inside, instantly ending Bing’s decade-long run as a punchline.)”

“The final, the Munich-based liberal newspaper writes, was a “fitting punchline” to a great tournament.”

CEFR level