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# pun

«pun» in Mova's school dictionary: **a joke that uses a word with two meanings, or words that…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 2 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

noun (a pun, puns); verb (pun, puns, punned, punning)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A pun is a joke that uses a word with two meanings, or words that sound the same, to be funny. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pun/#m1)

2) To pun means to make such a joke. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pun/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In English lessons, puns are a kind of wordplay used in jokes, riddles, headlines and poems. They often use homophones (flour/flower) or double meanings. Phrases: «no pun intended», «pun intended». People often groan at bad puns.

### examples

- I'm reading a book about anti-gravity — it's impossible to put down. That's a pun! [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pun/#x1)
- «Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana» is a famous pun. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pun/#x2)
- Dad tells terrible puns at dinner. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pun/#x3)
- The headline used a pun on «sole» and «soul». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pun/#x4)
- Why can't a bicycle stand up? Because it's two-tyred — a pun on «tired». [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pun/#x5)
- We wrote our own puns in English class. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pun/#x6)

### note

Past: punned, punning (double n). Puns need two meanings or two similar sounds; spot both to «get» the joke.

### In the corpora

- [«Well in» is a pun: the sisters are in the well, and «well in» also means deep inside.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/14-alice-a-mad-tea-party-2/24/)
- [Puns usually depend on sounds or double meanings in one language, so when translated the double meaning disappears.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/language/28-puns-and-jokes-that-need-a-pun/11/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «pun» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/P/pun/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.