English Meaning & Definitions
The act or practice of making plays on words that exploit multiple meanings of a term or of similar-sounding words for humorous or rhetorical effect.
- “His constant punning during serious meetings drove his coworkers crazy.”
- “Shakespeare's plays are famous for their clever and intricate punning.”
Characterized by or making use of puns.
- “The comedian's punning humor elicited both groans and laughter from the audience.”
- “She wrote a punning title for her column about gardening.”
English Synonyms & Near Equivalents
English Antonyms & Opposites
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “punning”.
Derived from the noun 'pun', which likely originated in the mid-17th century as an abbreviation of the obsolete word 'pundronic' (a pedantic quibble), or possibly from the Italian 'puntiglio' (a fine point or petty objection). The suffix '-ing' denotes the ongoing action or practice of making such plays on words.
Think of someone running ('running') towards a funny joke, which makes it a pun ('punning').
Frequently Asked Questions About “punning”
1. What is the meaning of “punning” in English?
In English, punning (noun) is defined as: “The act or practice of making plays on words that exploit multiple meanings of a term or of similar-sounding words for humorous or rhetorical effect.”.
2. How do you use “punning” in a sentence?
“His constant punning during serious meetings drove his coworkers crazy.”
3. What are English synonyms of “punning”?
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “punning”?
Derived from the noun 'pun', which likely originated in the mid-17th century as an abbreviation of the obsolete word 'pundronic' (a pedantic quibble), or possibly from the Italian 'puntiglio' (a fine point or petty objection). The suffix '-ing' denotes the ongoing action or practice of making such plays on words.
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A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.