mock

/mɑk/

/mɒk/

Other forms: mocking; mocked; mocks

Imitation may be the most sincere form of flattery, but to mock is to make fun of or mimic someone with contempt, ridicule or derision. "Louise’s favorite pastime was to mock her brother’s inability to sing on key."

The verb mock — as in the use that inspired the name of the mockingbird — can be simple imitation but, more often, to mock someone is to show disdain through mimicry or parody. As an adjective, mock indicates a fake or a simulation: "The design team made the most fabulous mock Eiffel Tower for our staging of An American in Paris." "His mock gratitude was, at times, unbearable."

Definitions of mock

1. verb

   treat with contempt
   “The new constitution mocks all democratic principles”

   synonyms: bemock

   types:

   bait, cod, rag, rally, razz, ride, tantalise, tantalize, taunt, tease, twit

   harass with persistent criticism or carping

   blackguard, guy, jest at, laugh at, make fun, poke fun, rib, ridicule, roast

   subject to laughter or ridicule

   deride

   treat or speak of with contempt

   barrack, flout, gibe, jeer, scoff

   laugh at with contempt and derision

   tease

   mock or make fun of playfully

   lampoon, satirise, satirize

   ridicule with satire

   debunk, expose

   expose while ridiculing; especially of pretentious or false claims and ideas

   stultify

   cause to appear foolish

   banter, chaff, jolly, josh, kid

   be silly or tease one another

   catcall

   utter catcalls at

   type of:

   do by, handle, treat

   interact in a certain way
2. verb

   imitate with mockery and derision
   types:

   ape, caricature

   represent a person with comic exaggeration

   impersonate

   represent another person with comic intentions

   burlesque, parody, spoof

   make a parody of

   travesty

   make a travesty of

   type of:

   copy, imitate, simulate

   reproduce someone's behavior or looks
3. adjective

   constituting a copy or imitation of something
   “boys in mock battle”

   synonyms:

   counterfeit, imitative

   not genuine; imitating something superior
4. noun

   the act of mocking or ridiculing
   “they made a mock of him”

   type of:

   derision, ridicule

   the act of deriding or treating with contempt