Farce

Pronunciation

• UK IPA: /fɑːs/
• US enPR: färs, IPA: /fÉ‘rs/
• Rhymes: -ɑː(r)s

From Middle French farce ("comic interlude in a mystery play").

Full definition of farce

Noun

1. (uncountable) A style of humor marked by broad improbabilities with little regard to regularity or method; compare sarcasm.
2. (countable) A motion picture or play featuring this style of humor.
   The farce that we saw last night had us laughing and shaking our heads at the same time.
• 1893, Walter Besant, The Ivory Gate Chapter Prologue, Thus, when he drew up instructions in lawyer language...; his clerks...understood him very well. If he had written a love letter, or a farce, or a ballade, or a story, no one, either clerks, or friends, or compositors, would have understood anything but a word here and a word there.
3. (uncountable) A situation abounding with ludicrous incidents.
   The first month of labor negotiations was a farce.
• 2012, May 9, Jonathan Wilson, Europa League: Radamel Falcao's Atlético Madrid rout Athletic Bilbao, The first match in the magnificent new national stadium was a Euro 2012 qualifier between Romania and France that soon descended into farce as the pitch cut up and players struggled to maintain their footing. Amorebieta at times seemed to be paying homage to that game, but nobody else seemed to have a problem; it was just that Falcao was far better than him.
4. (uncountable) A ridiculous or empty show.
   The political arena is a mere farce, with all sorts of fools trying to grab power.

Derived terms

• farcical

Pronunciation

From Middle English farcen, from Old French farsir, farcir, from Latin farcire ("to cram, stuff").

Verb

1. To stuff with forcemeat.
2. (figurative) To fill full; to stuff.
• Bishop SandersonThe first principles of religion should not be farced with school points and private tenets.
3. (obsolete) To make fat.
• Ben Jonsonif thou wouldst farce thy lean ribs
4. (obsolete) To swell out; to render pompous.
• Sandysfarcing his letter with fustian

Anagrams

• facer