Idioms for funny are your secret weapon to becoming the life of any conversation. Ever wondered why some people naturally light up a room with their witty expressions while others struggle to get a chuckle? The answer lies in mastering these clever phrases that turn ordinary talk into entertaining banter.
Ready to upgrade your humor game? You’re about to discover 45 hilarious idioms that will make your friends laugh and keep them hanging on your every word. From “beating around the bush” to “letting the cat out of the bag,” these expressions are your ticket to becoming that friend everyone loves to talk to. Let’s dive into the world of witty wordplay!
Common Idioms for Funny
1. Make a monkey out of someone
Meaning: To make someone look foolish or silly
In a Sentence: Tom made a monkey out of himself trying to dance at the party
Other Ways to Say: Make a fool of, make someone look ridiculous
2. Pull someone’s leg
Meaning: To joke with someone by telling them something untrue
In a Sentence: Don’t worry, I’m just pulling your leg about winning the lottery
Other Ways to Say: Kid around, mess with someone
3. Tickle someone’s funny bone
Meaning: To make someone laugh or amuse them greatly
In a Sentence: That comedian really knows how to tickle the audience’s funny bone
Other Ways to Say: Crack someone up, get someone going
4. Have a field day
Meaning: To thoroughly enjoy oneself, especially at someone else’s expense
In a Sentence: The comedians had a field day with the politician’s embarrassing gaffe
Other Ways to Say: Have a blast, have the time of one’s life
5. Split your sides
Meaning: To laugh extremely hard
In a Sentence: The movie was so funny, we were splitting our sides laughing
Other Ways to Say: Laugh your head off, crack up
6. A barrel of laughs
Meaning: Someone or something very funny and entertaining
In a Sentence: My uncle is a barrel of laughs at family gatherings
Other Ways to Say: A riot, a hoot
7. Get a rise out of someone
Meaning: To provoke a reaction, usually through teasing
In a Sentence: He loves getting a rise out of his sister with silly pranks
Other Ways to Say: Push someone’s buttons, wind someone up
8. Have the last laugh
Meaning: To succeed or triumph after being doubted or ridiculed
In a Sentence: When she won the competition, she had the last laugh
Other Ways to Say: Come out on top, prove everyone wrong
9. Laugh it off
Meaning: To treat something as a joke or humorous incident rather than getting upset
In a Sentence: Instead of getting angry about the mistake, he just laughed it off
Other Ways to Say: Make light of, brush it off
10. Funny business
Meaning: Suspicious or questionable behavior, often with humorous undertones
In a Sentence: I don’t want any funny business during the presentation
Other Ways to Say: Monkey business, shenanigans
11. Clown around
Meaning: To act silly or joke around
In a Sentence: The kids were clowning around instead of doing their homework
Other Ways to Say: Mess around, fool around
12. Comedy of errors
Meaning: A series of ridiculous or humorous mistakes or misunderstandings
In a Sentence: Getting to the airport became a comedy of errors
Other Ways to Say: Farce, circus
13. Not just whistling Dixie
Meaning: To be absolutely serious despite sounding humorous
In a Sentence: When I said this party would be epic, I wasn’t just whistling Dixie
Other Ways to Say: Dead serious, mean business
14. Put on a show
Meaning: To behave in an entertaining or amusing way
In a Sentence: The toddler put on quite a show during dinner
Other Ways to Say: Make a spectacle, create a scene
15. Get a kick out of
Meaning: To derive pleasure or amusement from something
In a Sentence: She really gets a kick out of watching fail videos
Other Ways to Say: Enjoy, find amusing
16. Cut up
Meaning: To behave in a playful or silly manner
In a Sentence: The students were cutting up during the substitute teacher’s lesson
Other Ways to Say: Act silly, goof off
17. Laugh all the way to the bank
Meaning: To be successful financially while others doubt or criticize
In a Sentence: His silly invention was mocked, but now he’s laughing all the way to the bank
Other Ways to Say: Cash in, make a killing
18. A real card
Meaning: Someone who is very funny or entertaining
In a Sentence: Your grandfather is such a real card at family reunions
Other Ways to Say: A character, a comedian
19. Ham it up
Meaning: To act in an exaggerated or silly way to make people laugh
In a Sentence: The actor really hamming it up for the audience
Other Ways to Say: Overact, play to the gallery
20. Break someone up
Meaning: To make someone laugh hard
In a Sentence: His impression of the teacher broke everyone up
Other Ways to Say: Crack someone up, make someone lose it
21. Play the fool
Meaning: To act silly intentionally for others’ amusement
In a Sentence: He loves playing the fool at parties to make everyone laugh
Other Ways to Say: Act the clown, make a spectacle
22. Laugh like a drain
Meaning: To laugh very loudly and heartily
In a Sentence: The audience was laughing like a drain throughout the comedy show
Other Ways to Say: Roar with laughter, howl with laughter
23. Funny as a crutch
Meaning: Not funny at all (used sarcastically)
In a Sentence: That joke was about as funny as a crutch
Other Ways to Say: Not amusing, dead serious
24. Leave them rolling in the aisles
Meaning: To make people laugh extremely hard
In a Sentence: His stand-up routine left them rolling in the aisles
Other Ways to Say: Bring the house down, kill the audience
25. Have them in stitches
Meaning: To make people laugh very hard
In a Sentence: Her story had everyone in stitches
Other Ways to Say: Make them cry with laughter, crack everyone up
26. Bust a gut
Meaning: To laugh extremely hard, to the point of physical discomfort
In a Sentence: His impression of the boss had me busting a gut
Other Ways to Say: Die laughing, double over with laughter
27. Laugh up your sleeve
Meaning: To laugh secretly or privately at someone’s expense
In a Sentence: She was laughing up her sleeve when her rival’s plan backfired
Other Ways to Say: Snicker privately, have a secret laugh
28. A laughing stock
Meaning: Someone who is ridiculed or the subject of mockery
In a Sentence: His attempt at breakdancing made him the laughing stock of the party
Other Ways to Say: Object of ridicule, butt of jokes
29. Funny farm
Meaning: A humorous term for a mental hospital
In a Sentence: This chaos at work is enough to send anyone to the funny farm
Other Ways to Say: Madhouse, nuthouse
30. Paint the town red
Meaning: To celebrate or have fun in a wild, amusing way
In a Sentence: After winning the championship, we painted the town red
Other Ways to Say: Live it up, go wild
31. Funny as a bucket of rocks
Meaning: Completely unfunny (used sarcastically)
In a Sentence: His dad jokes are about as funny as a bucket of rocks
Other Ways to Say: Dull as dishwater, boring as watching paint dry
32. Laugh in someone’s face
Meaning: To openly mock or ridicule someone
In a Sentence: When he suggested that plan, everyone laughed in his face
Other Ways to Say: Scoff at, mock openly
33. Keep a straight face
Meaning: To maintain a serious expression while something funny is happening
In a Sentence: I could barely keep a straight face during his ridiculous presentation
Other Ways to Say: Hold back laughter, maintain composure
34. Rolling in the hay
Meaning: To engage in playful or amusing behavior
In a Sentence: The kids were rolling in the hay during the farm visit
Other Ways to Say: Horsing around, playing around
35. Give someone the giggles
Meaning: To cause someone to laugh uncontrollably
In a Sentence: That silly hat gave everyone the giggles
Other Ways to Say: Set someone off, trigger a laughing fit
36. Laugh yourself silly
Meaning: To laugh so much that you become delirious
In a Sentence: We laughed ourselves silly watching those cat videos
Other Ways to Say: Laugh uncontrollably, become hysterical with laughter
37. Joke’s on you
Meaning: The person trying to fool others ends up being fooled themselves
In a Sentence: You thought you pranked me, but the joke’s on you
Other Ways to Say: Tables have turned, backfired
38. Make a laughing matter
Meaning: To turn something serious into something humorous
In a Sentence: He always makes a laughing matter out of his misfortunes
Other Ways to Say: Find humor in, see the funny side
39. Act the goat
Meaning: To behave foolishly or playfully
In a Sentence: Stop acting the goat and help me with these chores
Other Ways to Say: Mess about, fool around
40. Laugh like a hyena
Meaning: To laugh in a loud, uncontrolled manner
In a Sentence: The children were laughing like hyenas at the birthday party
Other Ways to Say: Cackle wildly, howl with laughter
41. Funny money
Meaning: Counterfeit currency, often used humorously
In a Sentence: He tried to pay with funny money at the carnival
Other Ways to Say: Fake cash, bogus bills
42. Laugh out of the other side of your mouth
Meaning: To change from laughter to dismay when something backfires
In a Sentence: You’re laughing now, but you’ll be laughing out of the other side of your mouth soon
Other Ways to Say: Change your tune, eat your words
43. Shake with laughter
Meaning: To laugh so hard that your body trembles
In a Sentence: The audience was shaking with laughter during the comedy show
Other Ways to Say: Convulse with laughter, quake with mirth
44. Send someone into fits
Meaning: To make someone laugh uncontrollably
In a Sentence: His silly dance moves sent everyone into fits
Other Ways to Say: Make someone lose it, trigger hysterics
45. Funny bone moment
Meaning: An unexpectedly humorous situation
In a Sentence: Walking into the glass door was definitely a funny bone moment
Other Ways to Say: Comic relief, humorous incident
Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Funny Idioms
- What does “make a monkey out of someone” mean?
a) To imitate someone
b) To make someone look foolish
c) To train someone
d) To help someone
Answer: b) To make someone look foolish
- When someone is “laughing up their sleeve,” they are
a) Crying secretly
b) Laughing loudly
c) Laughing secretly at someone’s expense
d) Making jokes
Answer: c) Laughing secretly at someone’s expense
- If you’re “laughing like a drain,” you are
a) Crying heavily
b) Laughing very quietly
c) Laughing very loudly
d) Not laughing at all
Answer: c) Laughing very loudly
- What does it mean to “ham it up”?
a) Cook dinner
b) Act in an exaggerated way
c) Tell bad jokes
d) Feel sad
Answer: b) Act in an exaggerated way
- If something is “funny as a bucket of rocks,” it is:
a) Very funny
b) Somewhat amusing
c) Not funny at all
d) Dangerously funny
Answer: c) Not funny at all
- What does “tickle someone’s funny bone” mean?
a) To physically tickle someone
b) To make someone angry
c) To make someone laugh or amuse them
d) To hurt someone
Answer: c) To make someone laugh or amuse them
- When someone is “a real card,” they are
a) A professional player
b) A very funny person
c) A serious person
d) A magician
Answer: b) A very funny person
- If you “have the last laugh,” you
a) Laugh at the end of a show
b) Tell the final joke
c) Succeed after being doubted
d) Laugh the longest
Answer: c) Succeed after being doubted
- What does it mean to “leave them rolling in the aisles”?
a) To make people very angry
b) To make people fall asleep
c) To make people leave
d) To make people laugh extremely hard
Answer: d) To make people laugh extremely hard
- If you “bust a gut,” you are
a) Getting injured
b) Eating too much
c) Laughing extremely hard
d) Exercising intensely
Answer: c) Laughing extremely hard
- When someone tells you to “keep a straight face,” they want you to:
a) Look directly ahead
b) Maintain a serious expression
c) Smile constantly
d) Look angry
Answer: b) Maintain a serious expression
- What does “paint the town red” mean?
a) To literally paint buildings
b) To get angry
c) To celebrate wildly
d) To cause trouble
Answer: c) To celebrate wildly
- If something is a “comedy of errors,” it is
a) A funny movie
b) A series of ridiculous mistakes
c) A type of play
d) A joke book
Answer: b) A series of ridiculous mistakes
- What does “give someone the giggles” mean?
a) To make someone sick
b) To make someone angry
c) To cause uncontrollable laughter
d) To share toys
Answer: c) To cause uncontrollable laughter
- If the “joke’s on you,” it means
a) You told a good joke
b) You’re wearing funny clothes
c) Your attempt to fool others backfired
d) You’re a comedian
Answer: c) Your attempt to fool others backfired
Conclusion
In conclusion, idioms related to humor and fun often use creative, vivid language to express ideas in a way that is both entertaining and insightful. They provide a unique way to describe funny situations, emotions, or actions, often with exaggeration, metaphor, or irony.
These idioms reflect the cultural and linguistic nuances of humor, making them not only a fun addition to language but also a window into how different communities view and communicate amusement. By incorporating these idioms into conversations, people can add a touch of lightheartedness, making communication more engaging and relatable.
