mock

1 of 4

verb

ˈmäk How to pronounce mock (audio)
ˈmȯk
mocked; mocking; mocks

transitive verb

1
: to treat with contempt or ridicule : deride
he has been mocked as a mama's boyC. P. Pierce
2
: to disappoint the hopes of
for any government to mock men's hopes with mere words and promises and gesturesD. D. Eisenhower
3
: defy, challenge
the unstable, strange new world of subatomic particles that mock all attempts at understandingPhilip Howard
4
a
: to imitate (someone or something) closely : mimic
a mockingbird was mocking a cardinalNelson 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 affectationFerdinand Schevill
mocker noun
mockingly 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
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
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.

youngsters began to mock the helpless wino

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
Later, a young enslaved woman, Mary Simms (Lovie Simone), must contend with the violence of her enslaver, Dr. Samuel Mudd (Matt Walsh), only to later be mocked and put on display amid her testimony during Stanton’s military tribunal against Booth’s accomplices. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 15 Mar. 2024 Four-time Grammy winner Kravitz was honored Tuesday with the star but got roasted by his daughter, who took the opportunity to gently mock her dad, the rock star and style icon. Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 Saturday Night Live mocking Joe Biden’s State of the Union address was inevitable. Shania Russell, EW.com, 10 Mar. 2024 That night, when his mug shot was released, social media posts from some Black users celebrated the image (among countless others mocking him). Marianne Levine, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024 In 2013, a North Carolina State basketball player said fans in Duke’s student section had mocked his dead grandmother. Emmanuel Morgan, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Timberlake’s apparent response to that apology was to go onstage and mock her attempt. Martha Ross, The Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2024 Democrats, including Allred, have mocked him relentlessly for it. Caroline Linton, CBS News, 6 Mar. 2024 One allegedly flashed a handgun, and others mocked the teens or screamed obscenities. Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024
Noun
Sheppard is a strong three-point shooter who has worked his way up NBA mock draft projections. Iliana Limón Romero, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024 The sharpshooting combo guard is projected to be selected third overall – the highest of any college player – in Bleacher Report’s latest 2024 NBA mock draft, after a late-season surge in scoring appears to have turned the heads of NBA scouts. Jacob Lev, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024 An easy mock hollandaise sauce adds creamy flavor to our tomato- and basil-topped twist on the classic eggs Benedict breakfast. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Mar. 2024 LeBron was angered and took to social media this week when ESPN’s NBA mock draft excluded Bronny from this summer’s draft and projected him instead for the 2025 draft. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 29 Feb. 2024 The 19-year-old, currently a freshman at USC, was removed from ESPN’s 2024 NBA mock draft. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 27 Feb. 2024 But with the first-round order now fully set, here's our latest NFL mock draft. Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024 The Athletic’s latest NBA mock draft projects that Furphy will be selected by the Portland Trailblazers with the No. 13 overall pick in the June 26-27 NBA Draft. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 20 Feb. 2024 During eighth grade mock elections, she was voted most likely to succeed. Georgea Kovanis, Detroit Free Press, 11 Feb. 2024
Adjective
The mock drill led to several recommendations, including that governments and the private sector find ways to fight misinformation before the next pandemic. Chris Mueller, USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 Fallon said in mock surprise as the singer — his knee-length leather duster flapping behind him — walked off without a word. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 14 Mar. 2024 During the Cold War, the British government conducted more than 750 mock chemical warfare attacks on the general public, according to researchers. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 12 Mar. 2024 Last week, combat-ready Romanian and Turkish pilots guided their F-16s in Romanian airspace about 12 miles from the Black Sea, in a mock intercept of a military cargo plane, to demonstrate their ability to protect NATO air space. Lara Jakes, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 Taylor revived the early aughts look for the dinner, wearing a mock neck gray and black patterned bodysuit. Hannah Jackson, Vogue, 8 Mar. 2024 Miami met at the combine with Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson, a popular mock draft pick. Daniel Oyefusi, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2024 The Los Angeles Lakers star, who became the first player to record 40,000 NBA points on Saturday, took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to express his frustration with Bronny falling out of the mock draft. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 This inaugural mock draft contemplates quarterbacks going with the first three picks, and a hypothetical trade that could facilitate that. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 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 Alwyn begins mock-pulling at his cheeks and widening his eyes at any talk of said face. Vulture, 9 May 2022 Perhaps most famously, Mr. Remy and Orsillo, in between convulsions of laughter, mock-analyzed an incident in which one fan in the Fenway stands threw a slice of pizza at another in April 2007. BostonGlobe.com, 31 Oct. 2021 Clifford looked at him mock-sternly, channelling Diana. Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 8 June 2020 Stokes continued, mock yelling in a West Hollywood hotel. Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, 20 Apr. 2020 But as the conflict in the country dragged on for years, the banner became a symbol over which critics would mock Bush. John Gage, Washington Examiner, 16 Mar. 2020 The included photo of the model/mock up of this case is close but not exact. Ron Spomer, Outdoor Life, 26 Feb. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mock.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of mock was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near mock

Cite this Entry

“Mock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mock. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mock

1 of 3 verb
ˈmäk How to pronounce mock (audio)
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 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

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