spoof

American  

[spoof] / spuf /

noun

1. a mocking imitation of someone or something, usually light and good-humored; lampoon or parody.

   The show was a spoof of college life.

2. a hoax; prank.

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verb (used with object)

1. to mock (something or someone) lightly and good-humoredly; kid.

2. to fool by a hoax; play a trick on, especially one intended to deceive.

3. to trick (electronic devices, as radar), by interrupting or otherwise corrupting data in order to avoid detection.

4. 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)

1. to scoff at something lightly and good-humoredly; kid.

   The campus paper was always spoofing about the regulations.

spoof British  

/ spuːf /

noun

1. a mildly satirical mockery or parody; lampoon

   a spoof on party politics

2. a good-humoured deception or trick; prank

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verb

1. to indulge in a spoof of (a person or thing)

2. to communicate electronically under a false identity

Other Word Forms

• spoofer noun

Etymology

Origin of spoof

First recorded in 1885–90; after a game invented and named by Arthur Roberts (1852–1933), British comedian

Example Sentences

The follow-up continues this kookiness with a madhouse spoof of Hallmark holiday saccharine in which a woodpile becomes a homicidal monster.

From Salon

Maritime risk company Vanguard Tech says it believes The Skipper was "spoofing its position for a long time" - that is, transmitting a false signal, making it appear to be in a different location.

From BBC

This led to his casting in comedy sketch show On The Bright Side, where he first performed what became one of his most popular sketches – the Parliamo Glasgow spoof language programme.

From BBC

Analysts at the firm said the ship had previously loaded crude oil from Venezuela and Iran, while falsifying its position via its onboard tracker, a process known as spoofing.

From BBC

This data may be partial or incorrect because of spoofing.

From BBC

Related Words

• burlesque
• caricature
• parody
• prank
• satire