dad joke

Indicative of the type of bad jokes that might be told by one's father. Possible calque of Japanese おやじギャグ (oyaji gyagu, literally “dad joke”), although it is not clear which came first.

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dad joke (plural dad jokes)

1. (colloquial) A (usually deliberate) unfunny or corny joke, typically containing a pun and often in question/answer format.
   • 2021, Shannon Carpenter, The Ultimate Stay-at-Home Dad […] , Penguin, →ISBN, page 32:

     Here is an oldie but a goodie: When does a joke become a dad joke? When it becomes apparent. Wocka wocka.

   • 2025 June 25, Ismail Muhammad, “Why Does Every Commercial for A.I. Think You’re a Moron?”, in The New York Times‎^[1], →ISSN:

     Meta has created a vision of life in which, without A.I. aiding his every word, an individual can be left reeling by the simplest of human interactions, unmanned by an ordinary dad joke.

dad joke (third-person singular simple present dad jokes, present participle dad joking, simple past and past participle dad joked)

1. (colloquial) To tell (someone) a dad joke.

   to get dad-joked

• “dad joke”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.