From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishjoyjoy1 /dʒɔɪ/ ●●● W3 noun 1 [uncountable]HAPPY great happiness and pleasure the look of joy on her facewith/for joy I leaped into the air with joy. She wept for joy. I didn’t exactly jump for joy (=I was not very pleased) when I heard the news.► see thesaurus at pleasureRegisterJoy is used especially in literature. In everyday English, rather than say they did something with joy, people usually say that they were (really) pleased/happy/glad to do it:Thank you for your letter. I was really pleased to get it.2 [countable]HAPPY something or someone that gives you happiness and pleasurejoy of one of the joys of travelling alone The garden was his pride and joy.be a joy to watch/drive/use etc The children’s singing was a joy to listen to.3 → no joyCOLLOCATIONSphrasesbe filled with joy/be full of joyI was full of joy at the thought of seeing her again.tears of joyShe began to cry again, but they were tears of joy.a feeling of joyA feeling of total joy swept over him.a sense of joyI’ll never forget the sense of joy that day.a look of joyThere was a look of joy on their faces.shouts/cries of joyThey greeted each other with cries of joy.adjectivesgreat joyTo her great joy, she became the mother of two beautiful baby girls.pure/sheer/complete joy (=a lot of joy, not mixed with other feelings)It was a moment of pure joy.overwhelming joy formal (=very great joy)She experienced a feeling of overwhelming joy.true/real joyHow can I find true joy in life?verbsbring joy to somebody (=make someone feel joy)Her children have brought her great joy.give (somebody) joyHis music has given people a lot of joy over the years.feel/experience joyHe had never felt the joy of watching the seasons come and go.be jumping for joy (=be very pleased about something)She tried to stay calm, but she was secretly jumping for joy. express your joy (=show it)They expressed their joy by jumping up and down and hugging each other.
Examples from the Corpus
joy• Everyone who knew her said she was a joy and an inspiration.• Taking pride and joy in my work had seemed just a dream to me once.• It was like nothing I'd ever experienced before - so much feeling, so much exquisite joy.• I was so excited about getting the job, I nearly jumped for joy.• If it was so unimportant, why, last night, had she scarcely slept for joy and excitement?• The toys will bring great joy to countless children.• Her optimism, her joy of life in those last hours, had nourished the medical staff.• Anyway, I phoned the pub, and no joy.• They give hope and help to those in need and a sense of joy and self-worth to us.• The sisters hugged and cried tears of joy.• Christmas is a time of joy.• The time we spent together in the Bahamas was pure joy.• It's hard to describe the joy we felt, seeing each other again after so many years.• To recapture the joys and imagination of childhood!• And this joy of discovery can prove among the richest of rewards.• People at the wedding laughed and danced with joy.jump for joy• It is, literally, a jump for joy.• The unions should be jumping for joy after the deal they got.• He hadn't been exactly jumping for joy to have her here in the first place, as she knew very well.• Here he is jumping for joy.• If they jump for joy today hold off until they sober up again.• No one was jumping for joy because they'd finally got the piece they'd been searching for for years.be a joy to watch/drive/use etc• Pitting the hood down is a joy to watch.• For Jack, it was a joy to watch her walk; her step was light and happiness shone from her.• The PowerShot is a joy to use.• The result, although dark and satirical, is a joy to watch - hilariously funny and unremittingly scabrous.joyjoy2 verb [intransitive] literary HAPPYto be happy because of somethingOrigin joy1 (1100-1200) Old French joie, from Latin gaudia 