farce

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a light dramatic composition marked by broadly satirical comedy and improbable plot
b
: the broad humor characteristic of farce
2
: an empty or patently ridiculous act, proceeding, or situation
the trial became a farce
3
: a savory stuffing : forcemeat

farce

2 of 2

verb

farced; farcing

transitive verb

1
: stuff
2
: to improve or expand (something, such as a literary work) as if by stuffing

Did you know?

From Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors to Monty Python and the Holy Grail, many of us are familiar with farce in its dramatic sense. However, when farce first appeared in English, it had to do with cookery, not comedy. In the 14th century, English adopted farce from Middle French with its original meaning of "forcemeat"—that is, a highly seasoned, minced meat or fish often served as a stuffing. In the 16th century, English imported the word again, this time to refer to a kind of knockabout comedy already popular in France. French farce had its origins in the 13th-century practice of "stuffing" Latin church texts with explanatory phrases. By the 15th century, a similar practice of inserting unscripted buffoonery into religious plays had arisen. Such farces—which included clowning, acrobatics, reversal of social roles, and indecency—soon developed into a distinct dramatic genre and spread rapidly in various forms throughout Europe.

Examples of farce in a Sentence

Noun an actor with a talent for farce the recall of a duly elected official for a frivolous reason is not democracy in action but a farce
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
But the farce feels forced, to the extent that a less extreme account of the directors’ Italian anniversary trip — one without the body count — might have been more effective. Peter Debruge, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 Its five Razzie nominations aside, the drag farce has gone on to become a beloved classic since its 2004 debut thanks to its over-the-top gags, ridiculous prosthetics, and infamous Vanessa Carlton musical number. Andrew Walsh, EW.com, 29 Feb. 2024 The Empire The Bottom Line May the farce be with you. Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Feb. 2024 The notion of quantum crypto-agility is, in essence, a farce. Kevin Bocek, Forbes, 15 Feb. 2024 Things feel a bit sweaty and effortful, especially in the early going — not the finest quality in a farce, though the cast may well settle into the show and tighten up its rhythms. Trey Graham, Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2024 Of course, if good farce is a miracle, bad farce is a curse, and Curb Your Enthusiasm has sometimes been bad farce. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2024 Advertisement Entertainment & Arts ‘POTUS,’ an all-female political farce, battles the patriarchy at the Geffen Playhouse Jan. 28, 2024 Marvin (Malcolm Barrett) works for an organization called the Congress for Cultural Freedom. Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2024 Creator Donald Glover's scary-outrageous turn as ghastly Teddy Perkins marked a high point for Atlanta's gothic farce, trapping down-for-whatever Darius (LaKeith Stanfield) in a Neverland-y nightmare. Ew Staff, EW.com, 8 Jan. 2024
Verb
Others might go right to farce for the 60-game schedule, the make-it-up-as-you-go-along rule changes, the runner-on-second rule to start extra innings and three-batters-per-pitcher minimum. Evan Grant, Dallas News, 28 Oct. 2020 As the season progresses, though, the pathos largely gives way to farce. Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 23 Aug. 2021

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'farce.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English farse, from Middle French farce, from Vulgar Latin *farsa, from Latin, feminine of farsus, past participle of farcire

Verb

Middle English farsen, from Anglo-French farsir, from Latin farcire

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of farce was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near farce

Cite this Entry

“Farce.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/farce. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

farce

noun
ˈfärs
1
: a play about ridiculous and absurd situations that is intended to make people laugh
2
: humor characteristic of a farce
3
: something that is ridiculous
farcical
ˈfär-si-kəl
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on farce

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