punch line

punch line — noun

1. The final part of a joke or short funny story that makes people laugh, often bec

1.名詞B1
釋義

The final part of a joke or short funny story that makes people laugh, often because it is unexpected or clever.

例句

Mizuki laughed so hard at the punch line that she nearly spilled her drink.

Everyone in the room fell silent — Kabir's joke had no punch line at all.

collocation: have no punch line

同義詞
  • tagline

    A memorable phrase used in advertising or branding; not specific to jokes.

  • kicker

    A surprising final line in journalism or storytelling; can be serious, whereas a punch line is always humorous.

  • payoff

    The satisfying resolution to a setup, often used for jokes but broader in scope.

反義詞
  • setup

    The opening part of a joke that gives the context before the punch line.

文法句型

the punch line of + [joke/story]

[possessive] + punch line

用法筆記

Nearly always singular; the punch line refers to the final line of a single joke. A joke without a satisfying punch line is often described as something that 'has no punch line' or whose punch line 'fell flat'.

常見錯誤

❌I forgot the punch line of his name.
✅I forgot the punch line of his joke.
💡A punch line belongs to a joke or funny story, not to a person's name.
❌The punch line of the movie was very sad.
✅The ending of the movie was very sad.
💡Punch line is only used for humorous or surprising endings, not for dramatic ones.