lampoon
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Related Words
See satire.
Other Word Forms
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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Escape from Camp 14
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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.
Dr. Maccoby was also a classmate of author John Updike, who led the rival Lampoon humor magazine.
From Washington Post • Nov. 10, 2022
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
Sean Kelly, the Quebec-born writer who helped infuse sharp-edged humor in the National Lampoon magazine, has died at the age of 81.
From New York Times • Jul. 23, 2022
Lampoon itself would disdain to speak ill of him of whom no man speaks well.
From Obiter Dicta Second Series by Birrell, Augustine
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.
