lampoon
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
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lampoons,
present (3rd person singular)
-
lampooned,
past participle, past
-
lampooning
present participle
noun
verb
Synonym Usage
See satire.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
lampoonsimple
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lampoonssimple
-
have lampoonedperfect
-
has lampoonedperfect
-
am lampooningprogressive
-
are lampooningprogressive
-
is lampooningprogressive
-
have been lampooningperfect progressive
-
has been lampooningperfect progressive
Past
-
lampoonedsimple
-
had lampoonedperfect
-
was lampooningprogressive
-
were lampooningprogressive
-
had been lampooningperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
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
“The Moment” doesn’t quite lampoon Swift’s massively successful tour or its ensuing media, but it does take issue with the Eras Tour’s tame spectacle.
From Salon ● Feb. 8, 2026
But after an extensive hiatus, all three Wayans brothers are back, penning a new script that will lampoon the best and worst horror has had to offer in the 13 years since “Scary Movie 5.”
From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2026
Benjamin Franklin’s 1773 “Rules by Which a Great Empire May Be Reduced to a Small One” used irony to lampoon British policy, undermining authority while avoiding direct flouting of the era’s harsh sedition laws.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 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
His policy platform often lampoons mainstream politics while drawing on genuine public anger and frustrations, and advocating in support of democracy.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
In the new sports thriller “HIM,” director and co-writer Justin Tipping cleverly lampoons the intense fanfare of organized sports, examining how much the pursuit of an intangible title like “GOAT” can cost an ambitious player.
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2025
Trey Parker and Matt Stone's long-running animated sitcom regularly lampoons leading figures including US President Trump.
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2025
Anthony Hopkins lampoons his own gravitas to sell cold brew coffee as well as promote the Wrexham soccer club.
From New York Times ● Feb. 11, 2024
This contemporary lithograph lampoons the panicked gentry who fled the city - and thus turned Handel’s new oratorio, Theodora, into a box-office flop.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Politics, family, inflation, racism, weight gain and greed were among the multiple topics lampooned by Wanda Sykes during a dynamic and often wickedly funny tour stop at the Dolby Theatre last Thursday.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026
A year after he lampooned a judge in a mocking poem, he had the misfortune of standing before him charged with seditious libel for a pamphlet satirizing the Church.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
In fact, in an episode that aired earlier that year, Murphy lampooned the political error that would follow Jackson for the rest of his life.
From Salon ● Feb. 22, 2026
Eight years ago, Jonny Bairstow was lampooned in the Australian media for a 'headbutt' to home opener Cameron Bancroft in a Perth bar.
From BBC ● Jan. 8, 2026
In his comic play The Clouds, Aristophanes, writing in 420 bc, lampooned rhetoric as the art of weak reasoning, “which by false arguments triumphs over the strong.”
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
Eastside Girls, meanwhile, is a tender depiction of Muna's neighbourhood, lovingly lampooning the staples of LA hipster culture – astrology, polyamory, roommate dramas and "negronis with the nice gin".
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The people at HBO are very concerned about leaks regarding who plays whom among the fabulous guest stars populating “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness,” Larry David’s seven-episode sketch-comedy series lampooning U.S. history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
By lampooning powerful figures, comedy provided a constructive means for citizens to challenge leaders in a public, collective setting.
From Salon ● Apr. 13, 2025
The show was punctuated by a memorable opening set from Mo’Nique, who spent much of her 15 minutes lampooning Oprah and Gayle King.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2024
He played the game like a child, or like someone who was bent on lampooning a sacred ritual, which amounted to the same thing.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
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.
