A pun is a play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or involving words with similar sounds.

The actual figure of speech is called a pun, while the verb form "to pun" describes the act of making a pun. Puns are also—but much less commonly—referred to using the more technical term paronomasia.

A pun differs from a malapropism in that a malapropism is an incorrect variation on a correct expression, while a pun involves expressions with multiple (correct or fairly reasonable) interpretations.

The meaning of PUN is the usually humorous use of a word in such a way as to suggest two or more of its meanings or the meaning of another word similar in sound.

Oct 18, 2025 · A pun is a form of wordplay that takes advantage of words with multiple meanings or similar sounds. By using a word in different senses, puns create a humorous or rhetorical effect. …

May 26, 2024 · What is a pun? A pun is a type of wordplay that exploits words with multiple definitions or similar sounds to create humor or suggest various layers of interpretation. Puns often involve …

Jun 26, 2025 · A pun is a form of wordplay that uses multiple meanings of a word or similar sounding words to create a joke, a witty remark, or clever humor. In grammar terms, it’s built on lexical …

Writers twist words and combine them in interesting ways in order to make puns. Puns depend on similar or identical sounds with different meanings or a double meaning. It’s critical that the words …

Sep 1, 2025 · At its core, a pun is a joke that exploits the different possible meanings of a word or the fact that there are words that sound alike but have different meanings. It’s a form of wordplay that …

PUN definition: 1. a humorous use of a word or phrase that has several meanings or that sounds like another word…. Learn more.