Meaning

One who groans or complains..

Definitions by Sense

1. One who groans or complains.
2. (informal) A work of extremely low quality, so bad as to inspire groaning.
3. (informal) A particularly egregious joke, especially a pun.
4. (nautical, slang) A whistling buoy.

Example Sentences

I don’t need to hear from groaners like you.

That movie was a real groaner.

Some groaners are converted into running gags, as when Joel and his brother (Max Greenfield) get in a duel of parting, one-last-thing-before-you-go affirmations.

From the cleverest repartee to the worst groaner, people use and respond to puns, but sometimes find them hard to define.

In the '40s, I remember ludicrous puns thought to be funny and repeated by teenagers, sometimes to a chorus of laughter. Here is a groaner example: "Mother, get off the rafters. That is no way to get on the beam." Naturally, to understand the joke, it was necessary to know the idiom of the day. "Get on the beam" meant "get with it" or understand the situation.

"Ever heard a Terry sermon?" Delaine wanted to know. "He usually starts with a joke, almost always a groaner. I love his puns! Besides, he's not afraid to tackle any issue, and he makes fun of just about everything in sight."

Word Forms

• groaners

Antonyms for groaner

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When Should You Use Groaner?

Use groaner when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

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