From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishpractical jokeˌpractical ˈjoke noun [countable] JOKEa trick that is intended to give someone a surprise or shock, or to make them look stupid —practical joker noun [countable]
Examples from the Corpus
practical joke• Two weeks ago firemen freed a woman after a practical joke ended in her unable to release herself.• Baker said that he thought the incident was a practical joke that had backfired.• Suspecting some bizarre practical joke, Charlotte marched up to the front door and rang the bell.• At first I thought it was an enormous practical joke.• Had he been brought here as some kind of practical joke? 