noun
joker
JOH-kuh
noun
1
A person who likes making jokes.
"He's the joker of the group, always winding people up."
2
A playing card, often showing a jester, used as a wild card in some games.
"She played the joker to win the final hand."
3
A clause hidden in a contract that undermines its stated terms.
"Buried in the small print was a joker that let the landlord raise rent at will."
How to Use Joker
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomeone who jokes around, a wild card in a deck, or (in law) a sneaky clause buried in a contract.
Common pairings
practical joker
wild joker
joker in the pack
Word Forms
jokers plural
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “joker”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
He's the _____ of the group, always winding people up.
Etymology
From "joke" plus the agent suffix "-er"; the playing-card sense may instead come from the German card game Juckerspiel.