play on words

noun
1.
a pun or the act of punning.
Examples from the web for play on words
  • He laughed, displaying an author's pride at the play on words.
  • All of this is a play on words to empress investors.
  • Actually, the first example in this essay is not really a negative statement, it's a play on words.
  • The potential effects of climate change, to use a poor play on words, are chilling.
  • Have fun with your play on words but shoes and water pose a threat.
  • But only a play on words can transform every negligent discharge into a tort.
  • Thinking outside of the box is not for him an idle play on words, but rather the foundation of his art.
  • In context and as used in the complained of broadcasts, these were epithets intended to denigrate or were a play on words.
British Dictionary definitions for play on words

play on words

noun
1.
another term for pun1 (sense 1)
Contemporary definitions for play on words
phrase

a pun

Idioms and Phrases with play on words

play on words

A word or turn of phrase with a double meaning, a pun or other humorous use of language. For example, Shakespeare was a master at plays on words—his dramas are full of puns. [ First half of 1700s ]