Meaning & use
punchline
The final phrase or sentence of a joke or story that delivers its humor or main point.
See it in a sentence
He forgot the punchline halfway through telling the joke and had to start over.
The comedian built up the story slowly before delivering a punchline that made the whole room laugh.
A note on using this word
Punchline can also describe the surprising or ironic final point of a real event, not only a joke, as in the punchline of the story was that he had been right all along.
Words with a similar meaning
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