mock

[mok]

verb (used with object)

1. to attack or treat with ridicule, contempt, or derision.

   Synonyms: lampoon, parody, josh, tease, chaff, gibe, ridicule, scorn, deride

2. to ridicule by mimicry of action or speech; mimic derisively.

3. to mimic, imitate, or counterfeit.

4. to challenge; defy.

   His actions mock convention.

5. to deceive, delude, or disappoint.

   Synonyms: mislead, fool, dupe, cheat

verb (used without object)

1. to use ridicule or derision; scoff; jeer (often followed byat ).

noun

1. a contemptuous or derisive imitative action or speech; mockery or derision.

2. something mocked or derided; an object of derision.

3. an imitation; counterfeit; fake.

4. Shipbuilding.

   1. a hard pattern representing the surface of a plate with a warped form, upon which the plate is beaten to shape after furnacing.

   2. Also called mock mold. bed.

adjective

1. feigned; not real; sham.

   a mock battle.

verb phrase

1. mock up,  to build a mock-up of.

mock

/ mɒk /

verb

1. to behave with scorn or contempt (towards); show ridicule (for)

2. (tr) to imitate, esp in fun; mimic

3. (tr) to deceive, disappoint, or delude

4. (tr) to defy or frustrate

   the team mocked the visitors' attempt to score

noun

1. the act of mocking

2. a person or thing mocked

3. a counterfeit; imitation

4. informal,  (often plural) (in England and Wales) the school examinations taken as practice before public examinations

adjective

1. sham or counterfeit

2. serving as an imitation or substitute, esp for practice purposes

   a mock battle

   mock finals

Other Word Forms

• mockable adjective
• mocker noun
• unmocked adjective
• mockingly adverb
• mocking noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of mock¹

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English mokken, from Middle French mocquer

Word History and Origins

Origin of mock¹

C15: from Old French mocquer

Synonym Study

See ridicule.

Example Sentences

An eight-year veteran of “The Daily Show,” and host of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2023, Wood has lots of experience in mocking elected officials.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

In the social-media response to his death, hundreds of thousands of Americans clicked the laughing emoji on their feeds, mocking health insurers while sharing their own frustrations with the system.

Read more on MarketWatch

They didn’t hold back—they made fun of how he looked, they mocked his father’s Nigerian accent, and they topped it off by tugging at the dashiki until it ripped.

Read more on Literature

A bemused Miss Mortimer opened her office door to find the Incorrigibles taking mock bows and curtsies before an imaginary audience, as if they had just concluded a successful opening night on the West End.

Read more on Literature

The mocking remark about pie or, rather, PIE, spurred her to act.

Read more on Literature

Related Words

• deride 
• insult 
• parody 
• scoff 
• scorn 
• taunt 
• tease