pun

[puhn]

noun

1. the humorous use of a word or phrase so as to emphasize or suggest its different meanings or applications, or the use of words that are alike or nearly alike in sound but different in meaning; a play on words.

2. the word or phrase used in this way.

verb (used without object)

punned, punning 

1. to make puns.

pun

¹

/ pʌn /

noun

1. the use of words or phrases to exploit ambiguities and innuendoes in their meaning, usually for humorous effect; a play on words. An example is: "Ben Battle was a soldier bold, And used to war's alarms: But a cannonball took off his legs, So he laid down his arms." (Thomas Hood)

verb

1. (intr) to make puns

pun

²

/ pʌn /

verb

1. (tr) to pack (earth, rubble, etc) by pounding

pun

1. A humorous substitution of words that are alike in sound but different in meaning (see double-entendre), as in this passage from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll:

   “And how many hours a day did you do lessons?” said Alice, in a hurry to change the subject.

   “Ten hours the first day,” said the Mock Turtle, “nine the next, and so on.”

   “What a curious plan!” exclaimed Alice.

   “That's the reason they're called lessons,” the Gryphon remarked: “because they lessen from day to day.”

Other Word Forms

• punless adjective
• punner noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of pun¹

First recorded in 1655–65; perhaps special use of pun, variant (now dialectal) of pound ¹, in the sense “to mistreat (words)”

Word History and Origins

Origin of pun¹

C17: possibly from Italian puntiglio point of detail, wordplay; see _punctilio

Origin of pun²

C16: dialectal variant of _pound ¹

Example Sentences

Andy looks like a human adult but behaves like an awkward, stammering middle-schooler eager to ingratiate himself with his peers by telling toothless jokes straight out of a Scholastic pun manual.

From Salon

Those ads, which centered around a pun on the phrase “good genes,” were accused of promoting eugenics.

From Salon

And that is how a quack who treats the tender corns on pedicured toes suddenly becomes a world-renowned corn doctor in a show that seemingly never met a pun it didn’t like.

From Los Angeles Times

Many attendees dress in costumes in accordance with the annual theme, which in 2025 is entitled "pun intended".

From BBC

But drinking trends come and go, and by the end of the 20th century, bourbon was considered a bit old fashioned - pun intended.

From BBC

Related Words

• double entendre 
• joke 
• quip 

When To Use

What is a pun?

A pun is a humorous use of words with multiple meanings or words that sound similar but have different meanings, as in The gravekeeper buried the evidence under his desk.There are two ways to make a pun. The first involves using a word with more than one meaning to create humorous wordplay, as in The dentist put his assistants through some drills. A drill is both a tool a dentist uses and a training exercise.The second way is to use similar sounding words with different meanings to make humorous wordplay, as in The clown helped the children across the street. It was a kind jester. Here, jester, a type of clown, is used instead of the similar sounding gesture, meaning an action or a courtesy.