lampoon

American  

[lam-poon] / læmˈpun /

noun

1. a sharp, often virulent satire directed against an individual or institution; a work of literature, art, or the like, ridiculing severely the character or behavior of a person, society, etc.

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verb (used with object)

1. to mock or ridicule in a lampoon.

   to lampoon important leaders in the government.

lampoon British  

/ læmˈpuːn /

noun

1. a satire in prose or verse ridiculing a person, literary work, etc

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verb

1. (tr) to attack or satirize in a lampoon

Related Words

See satire.

Other Word Forms

• lampooner noun
• lampoonery noun
• lampoonist noun
• unlampooned adjective

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; lap ³

Example Sentences

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

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 Literature

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

The Spitting Image TV show, which lampooned celebrities, politicians and royals, was a huge hit for ITV when it first ran in the 1980s and 1990s.

From BBC

The weekly Russian satire known as “Kukly” — or “Puppets,” in English — lampooned Russian leaders by rendering them as giant latex caricatures.

From Salon

Related Words

• caricature
• mock
• parody
• satirize