lampoon
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
noun
verb
Synonym Usage
See satire.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has lampoonedperfect 3rd person singular
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have lampoonedperfect
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am lampooningprogressive 1st person singular
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is lampooningprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been lampooningperfect progressive
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are lampooningprogressive
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lampoonssingular 3rd person
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has been lampooningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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lampooningparticiple
Past
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had lampoonedperfect
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had been lampooningperfect progressive
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was lampooningprogressive singular
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were lampooningprogressive plural
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lampoonedsimple
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lampoonedparticiple
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.
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
While at the Lampoon and for decades after, Mr. Kelly was a prolific author.
From New York Times • Jul. 20, 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
When I left Lampoon on an elephant, six hundred miles north of Bangkok, a Laos gentleman rode beside me for several miles on an American bicycle.
From New Forces in Old China An Inevitable Awakening by Brown, Arthur Judson
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.
