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View synonyms for punch line

punch line

noun

  1. the climactic phrase or sentence in a joke, speech, advertisement, or humorous story that produces the desired effect.


punch line

noun

  1. the culminating part of a joke, funny story, etc, that gives it its humorous or dramatic point
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of punch line1

An Americanism dating back to 1920–25
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Bronny James has been their most improved player simply by morphing from a punch line into, well, a player.

That is until Curtis has a sucker punch line of dialogue that follows: “I know babies taste the best.”

From Salon

So much of life doesn’t have a punch line, and in music you can be more confessional because you’re not saying, “Hi, I’m Mae, and I’m saying this about this particular incident in my life.”

How happy it has been to discover my youthful ignorance as the true punch line.

The vice presidency has often served as the punch line in a long-running joke — that is, when the office and its occupant have gotten any attention at all.

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