- present participle of mock.
mocking
Americanadjective
noun
-
mockings
plural
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of mocking
First recorded in 1400–50; mock ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective; mock ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun
Explanation
When you talk to or about someone in a mocking tone, you're making fun of them in a nasty, mean way. But if you're a comedy writer or political satirist, a mocking attitude is a tool of your trade. If you're writing a skit about the outrageous proposal some politician has just made, you'll write it in a mocking tone, imitating the politician's voice and mannerisms in a way that makes him look as ridiculous as you think he is. Seen any mockingbirds lately? That's the bird that sings almost nonstop, imitating the calls of other birds.
Vocabulary lists containing mocking
The SAT: Words to Capture Tone, List 1
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"The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 1
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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.
See Examples For:
"They don't have enough land," he said, mocking Russia -- the world's largest country.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
The Korean company and its devotees are mocking Apple for hyping a product they’ve had for years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Phillips ultimately lost his job with Collins too, this time after crudely mocking a rival political operative whose wife had accused former NBC journalist Matt Lauer of rape.
From Slate ● Aug. 27, 2026
Thousands of posts mocking Modi have flooded social media.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
“A walled city for the king of Bright Moonlight, the Vast Wall for the emperor,” Yishan said in a mocking tone.
From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin
A #nursewho hashtag emerged on Twitter, attached both to attacks on the casting and ironic mockings of the attackers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2017
No taunt, no smile mingled with their surprise, for Hetty had a character and a manner too saintly to subject her infirmity to the mockings of the rude and ferocious.
From The Deerslayer by James Fenimore Cooper
Ye may endure their mockings, and all the hard measure which ye get her, for it shall be recompensed unto them.
From The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning by Hugh Binning
Perjury and cruel mockings are among its weapons.
From The National Preacher, Vol. 2. No. 6., Nov. 1827 Or Original Monthly Sermons from Living Ministers by Austin Dickinson
We must be the object of their criticism, of their scoffs, of their mockings, and all this apart from the Master.
From Heart Talks by Charles Wesley Naylor
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.
