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As I found in the dictionary, to 'make a joke of' something means 'laugh or be humorous about (something that is not funny in itself)', and to joke around means to act amusingly and without seriousness.

From the dictionary definition, I'm not sure whether they mean the same or not, but I guess they do have similar meaning..

What I want to write is :

1) He used to say with a bit of a joke(not seriously) that he was a genius.

And then both

2) He used to make jokes of himself that he was a genius.

3) He used to joke around with himself that he was a genius.

have the same meaning? So 1),2),3) all mean the same and are interchangeable sentence here?

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"A joke" is a funny story. So, to "make a joke of something" means to take something normally not funny and make a funny story from it.

If you want to use "a joke" in that sentence, these would sound more natrual:

He used to joke that he was a genius.

Or

He used to make a joke that he was a genius.

The second one gives the impression that he had a specific story ("a joke") he would tell.

You could also think about this:

He used to say sarcastically that he was a genius.

This gives the impression that he would say "I'm a genius" but his tone and facial expressions would make it clear that he was not serious.

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  • Thanks a lot! I just want to ask you if the sentence you suggested 'He used to joke that he was a genius.' and 'He used to say with a bit of a joke that he was a genius.' have the same meaning. If they mean the same, is the second one just making the sentence unnecessarily long?
    – dbwlsld
    Commented Oct 3, 2017 at 13:12
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    Those two don't have the same meaning. Not quite. to joke means to do something (anything) funny. a bit of a joke would mean a short, funny story. So if you want to say that he would tell a short, funny story about him being a genius, then you can say that. However a native English speaker would more likely use one of the phrasings I suggested. (although, be aware that I live in Canada, so I can only speak of what's normal in North America)
    – Gabriel Luci
    Commented Oct 3, 2017 at 13:18
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    "a bit of a joke" is more likely to be a phrase of disparagement, dismissing a person as a "laughing-stock": He's been on that TV news program for ten years, but since the sex scandal, he has become a bit of a joke.
    – TimR
    Commented Oct 3, 2017 at 15:30
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To make a joke of something means to treat it with levity, not seriousness.

He accidentally sat down on wet paint fifteen minutes before his big job interview. He didn't let it bother him but made a joke of it at the interview.

To make a joke of something can also mean to treat something with less respect than it deserves. A person who says:

You're making a joke of it.

is not likely to be laughing but frowning.

The phrase to joke around means to engage in playful behavior, not doing anything serious or of importance.

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