spoof
Americannoun
-
spoofs
plural
-
a mocking imitation of someone or something, usually light and good-humored; lampoon or parody.
The show was a spoof of college life.
-
a hoax; prank.
verb (used with object)
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spoofs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
spoofed,
past participle, past
-
spoofing
present participle
-
to mock (something or someone) lightly and good-humoredly; kid.
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to fool by a hoax; play a trick on, especially one intended to deceive.
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to trick (electronic devices, as radar), by interrupting or otherwise corrupting data in order to avoid detection.
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Digital Technology. to misrepresent (the identity of a party or the origin of data) in a communication, in order to misdirect digital authentication or other security measures: Suspects spoofed caller ID when they phoned in the anonymous threats.
Hackers spoofed the IP to fool the network into providing access.
Suspects spoofed caller ID when they phoned in the anonymous threats.
The sender’s email address was spoofed to fool the company’s spam filters.
verb (used without object)
-
spoofs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
spoofed,
past participle, past
-
spoofing
present participle
noun
-
a mildly satirical mockery or parody; lampoon
a spoof on party politics
-
a good-humoured deception or trick; prank
verb
-
to indulge in a spoof of (a person or thing)
-
to communicate electronically under a false identity
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
spoofsimple
-
spoofssimple
-
have spoofedperfect
-
has spoofedperfect
-
am spoofingprogressive
-
are spoofingprogressive
-
is spoofingprogressive
-
have been spoofingperfect progressive
-
has been spoofingperfect progressive
Past
-
spoofedsimple
-
had spoofedperfect
-
was spoofingprogressive
-
were spoofingprogressive
-
had been spoofingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of spoof
First recorded in 1885–90; after a game invented and named by Arthur Roberts (1852–1933), British comedian
Explanation
A spoof is a funny version of something, like a movie or a book. The classic comedy "Young Frankenstein" is a spoof of earlier, serious film adaptations of the famous novel. You can also call a spoof a parody. A spoof borrows material from the original, copying the style and characteristics that make it obvious what the subject of the spoof is. Movies like "Spaceballs," a spoof of the "Star Wars" films, and "Scary Movie," which spoofs the entire horror film genre, are great examples. Spoof originally meant "hoax," and it comes from a game, Spouf, invented by a British comedian in 1884.
Vocabulary lists containing spoof
Lesson 3
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Mock
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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:
The video, clearly fake, was a spoof of Sarkisian’s real-life choice to blow off an interview with Rowe in the aftermath of Texas’ win over the Buckeyes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The full 60-second video was meant to spoof the horror movie “Obsession,” released earlier this summer, he said, but “missed the mark.”
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026
He produced David Lynch’s 1980 drama “The Elephant Man,” while Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror classic “Psycho” inevitably calls to mind Brooks’ 1977 Hitchcock spoof “High Anxiety.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
His "spoof" contender was making him "look rather silly", Queen Mary University of London politics professor Stijn van Kessel told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026
It was possible for hackers to use modded visors to spoof their retinal patterns and thus create a second account for themselves.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
It never disappointed us for a laugh with its great cast and their recurring characters and movie spoofs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 18, 2026
This year’s anthology spoofs “Jaws,” “Late Night With the Devil” and “Furiosa.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2025
Baldwin is the latest star to return to the series as part of their election spoofs.
From Salon ● Oct. 20, 2024
Her performances during her three rounds on Friday quickly lit up the internet, with users creating a sea of memes and video spoofs, questioning everything from her outfit to her qualification.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2024
I can't say more without endangering the effect of Captain COKE'S ingenious shifts and spoofs.
From Punch, or the London Charivari, Volume 153, October 17, 1917 by Various
Americans are awash in scams: phony UPS texts, AI-generated voices of loved ones in trouble, spoofed emails tricking city governments.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Actor Will Ferrell, whose 2020 film “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga” memorably spoofed the competition, recorded a short video shown at the semifinal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 16, 2026
The first trailer "spoofed everything from Star Wars to Avatar to Harry Potter", according to Variety's report from the screening.
From BBC ● Apr. 17, 2026
Signal jamming and GPS interference with "spoofed" coordinates are other methods Dauer cited for dealing with drones without shooting them mid-air.
From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2025
The beggar spoofed Lady Hannah up hill and down dale with that, and she believed him.
From The Dop Doctor by Richard Dehan
The seeker versions of the jet drones are also highly resistant to jamming or spoofing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
And where does he fit into the British tradition of spoofing politicians?
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
For its upcoming Los Angeles venue, experiential art firm Meow Wolf will focus on the art of storytelling, with a specific eye toward spoofing our city’s moviemaking magic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Iran’s hundreds of ghost-fleet vessels use tactics like signal spoofing and at-sea oil transfers, posing a challenge to U.S. interdiction efforts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
It is hard to get the colyumist to admit this, for he fears spoofing worse than the devil; but it is eminently true.
From Pipefuls by Christopher Morley
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.
