mock

1 of 4

verb

ˈmäk 

ˈmȯk

mocked; mocking; mocks

transitive verb

1

: to treat with contempt or ridicule : deride

he has been mocked as a mama's boy

—C. P. Pierce

2

: to disappoint the hopes of

for any government to mock men's hopes with mere words and promises and gestures

—D. D. Eisenhower

3

: defy, challenge

the unstable, strange new world of subatomic particles that mock all attempts at understanding

—Philip Howard

4

a

: to imitate (someone or something) closely : mimic

a mockingbird was mocking a cardinal

—Nelson Hayes

b

: to mimic in sport or derision

followed the old man along the street mocking his gait

intransitive verb

: jeer, scoff

she … mocked at his piety as affectation

—Ferdinand Schevill

mocker noun

mockingly

ˈmä-kiŋ-lē 

ˈmȯ-

adverb

mock

2 of 4

noun

1

: an act of ridicule or derision : jeer

2

: one that is an object of derision or scorn

3

: mockery

4

a

: an act of imitation

b

: something made as an imitation

mock

3 of 4

adjective

: of, relating to, or having the character of an imitation : simulated, feigned

the mock solemnity of the parody

mock

4 of 4

adverb

: in an insincere or counterfeit manner

—usually used in combination

mock-serious

Synonyms

Verb

• burlesque
• caricature
• do
• imitate
• mimic
• parody
• send up
• spoof
• travesty

Noun

• butt
• derision
• jest
• joke
• laughingstock
• mark
• mockery
• sport
• target

Adjective

• artificial
• bogus
• dummy
• ersatz
• factitious
• fake
• false
• faux
• imitation
• imitative
• man-made
• mimic
• pretend
• sham
• simulated
• substitute
• synthetic

Choose the Right Synonym for mock

ridicule, deride, mock, taunt mean to make an object of laughter of.

ridicule implies a deliberate often malicious belittling.

consistently ridiculed everything she said

deride suggests contemptuous and often bitter ridicule.

derided their efforts to start their own business

mock implies scorn often ironically expressed as by mimicry or sham deference.

the other kids mocked the way he laughed

taunt suggests jeeringly provoking insult or challenge.

hometown fans taunted the visiting team

copy, imitate, mimic, ape, mock mean to make something so that it resembles an existing thing.

copy suggests duplicating an original as nearly as possible.

copied the painting and sold the fake as an original

imitate suggests following a model or a pattern but may allow for some variation.

imitate a poet's style

mimic implies a close copying (as of voice or mannerism) often for fun, ridicule, or lifelike imitation.

pupils mimicking their teacher

ape may suggest presumptuous, unoriginal, or inept imitating of a superior original.

American fashion designers aped their European colleagues

mock usually implies imitation with derision.

mocking a vain man's pompous manner

Examples of mock in a Sentence

Verb

The boys mocked him for showing fear.

He mocks art only because he doesn't understand it.

They continue to mock the idea of a new government.

We are being mocked for our religious beliefs.

You can mock me as much as you like, but I'm going to do it anyway.

Noun

they made a mock of the new recruit in front of the whole unit

obviously, the “priceless” Grecian urn that is destroyed in the movie was a mock

Adjective

We stared at him in mock surprise.

Every summer, our history club performs mock battles to relive our country's greatest war.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Her research entailed working with rhinos that had been sedated and fitted with radio collars, a process so stressful that some females slowed their reproduction or miscarried; meanwhile, local trackers mocked her fancy receivers. —Ben Goldfarb, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Oct. 2024

After that, there was an uptick in videos posted on Telegram that appeared to show Ukrainian civilians being attacked or running from drones, with Russian commentators mocking them. —Lauren Kent, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024

Noun

The media portrayed Taylor as a homewrecker who lured Fisher away from Debbie Reynolds, whose persona as America’s sweetheart Taylor mocks in her interview. —Marisa Guthrie, WWD, 2 Aug. 2024

In the mock debates Harris is holding in Pittsburgh as rehearsal for Tuesday, the adviser playing Trump’s role is underlining the differences between the candidates by allegedly dressing as Trump, right down to the big blue suit and long tie. —Vaughn Hillyard, NBC News, 8 Sep. 2024

Adjective

Wear rubber gloves and clip a mangled licking branch (which holds the forehead and saliva scent of several bucks and does) from atop an active scrape and wire it over a mock scrape near your stand. —Michael Hanback, Outdoor Life, 7 Nov. 2024

Students around the country are getting mock elections, nine-week campaign courses and field trips to the polls, where many high school seniors will vote for their first time on Tuesday. —Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 5 Nov. 2024

Adverb

Sports Sam Farmer’s crystal ball: NFL mock draft 2.0 after big trade for top pick April 3, 2023 Stafford passed for only 10 touchdowns, with eight interceptions, as the Rams produced the worst performance by a defending Super Bowl champion in league history. —Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2023

And though Tyler ditched the bellhop costume quickly, he was soon replaced by the anonymous character of a fisherman in a bright yellow raincoat who was responsible for holding up a backdrop as Tyler set sail -- and, of course, mock-mopping up the water on the dock once Tyler returned to land. —Billboard, 31 July 2021

Word History

Etymology

Verb, Noun, Adjective, and Adverb

Middle English, from moker

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1548, in the meaning defined above

Adverb

circa 1625, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing mock

• mock-heroic
• mock orange
• mock turtleneck
• mock turtle soup
• mock-up

Kids Definition

mock

1 of 3 verb

ˈmäk 

ˈmȯk

1

: to treat with scorn : ridicule

mocked his ideas

2

: defy sense 2

don't mock the rules

3

: to make fun of by mimicking

mocker noun

mockingly

-iŋ-lē 

adverb

mock

2 of 3 noun

1

: an act of mocking : jeer

2

: someone or something that is made fun of

mock

3 of 3 adjective

: not real : imitation