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

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

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

For a movie that starts dying a slow, painful death from its first act, its attempts to lampoon our fear of death are ironically futile.

From Salon • Feb. 21, 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

Related Words

• caricature
• mock
• parody
• satirize