lampoon
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Synonym Usage
See satire.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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lampoonsimple
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lampoonssimple
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have lampoonedperfect
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has lampoonedperfect
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am lampooningprogressive
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are lampooningprogressive
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is lampooningprogressive
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have been lampooningperfect progressive
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has been lampooningperfect progressive
Past
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lampoonedsimple
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had lampoonedperfect
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was lampooningprogressive
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were lampooningprogressive
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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.
McCall wrote for “The National Lampoon Radio Hour” and put in a brief, unhappy stint as a writer for “Saturday Night Live” in the late 1970s before returning to advertising.
From New York Times • May 5, 2023
He soon moved to Paris and began hanging out with George Plimpton, a fellow alum of The Harvard Lampoon.
From New York Times • Sep. 21, 2022
But first, they’re making a stop at Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre for this world premiere musical based on the National Lampoon film franchise that dates back to 1983’s Chevy Chase-led “Vacation.”
From Seattle Times • Sep. 7, 2022
There’s a rich history of satirical publications like Mad magazine and National Lampoon - places where the news of the day collides with the potential for laughter that can reduce its heaviness.
From Washington Times • Mar. 29, 2022
Now, dropt for politics and news, Neglected lay the drooping MUSE, Unmindful whence his fortune came, He stifled the poetic flame; Nor tale nor sonnet, for my lady, Lampoon, nor epigram was ready.
From Moores Fables for the Female Sex by Moore, Edward Caldwell
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.
