lampoon
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Synonym Usage
See satire.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
have lampoonedperfect
-
has lampoonedperfect 3rd person singular
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are lampooningprogressive
-
has been lampooningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am lampooningprogressive 1st person singular
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is lampooningprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been lampooningperfect progressive
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lampoonssingular 3rd person
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lampooningparticiple
Past
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had lampoonedperfect
-
had been lampooningperfect progressive
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was lampooningprogressive singular
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lampoonedsimple
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were lampooningprogressive plural
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lampoonedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of lampoon
First recorded in 1635–45; from French lampon, said to be noun use of lampons “let us guzzle” (from a drinking song), imperative of lamper, akin to laper “to lap up,” from Germanic; see lap 3
Explanation
When you make fun of something by imitating it in a humorous way, you're lampooning it. The writers at The Onion, Saturday Night Live, and FunnyOrDie.com are all experts in the art of the lampoon. Lampoon can be both a verb and a noun. To lampoon is ridicule. A lampoon is a parody or satire. Imagine you were frustrated by having your allowance reduced, so you wrote a funny play portraying mom and dad as dictators extracting lots of unfair taxes from their people. That's lampooning. And it probably won't help your allowance situation.
Vocabulary lists containing lampoon
100 SAT Words Beginning with "J," "K," and "L"
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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Comedy Lingo
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Ionesco’s brand of absurdism is indebted to classic French farce, which is redeployed in lunatic fashion to lampoon the nonsensical nature of human existence.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2026
One can see the attraction for writers: the insular setting, the acceptance of eccentricity, the entrenchment of the otherwise unemployable, and the ease by which one can lampoon social trends.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 5, 2026
Beeple, who is 44, spoke with The Wall Street Journal on Friday about his latest lampoon as he stood in the pen with his pack at the fair, which runs through Sunday.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025
Chenoweth, who is as gleaming as a holiday ornament on Liberace’s Christmas tree, arrives at a canny balance of quixotic generosity and parvenu carelessness in her portrayal of a woman she refuses to lampoon.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 9, 2025
They had, in impudence, chosen this night, the night of our festive lampoon, for their attack, knowing our officers engaged in the drama; there could be little question of that.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
