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

The plans, mocked up by Populous, include a sky bar overlooking the pitch, a stadium roof-walk experience, a 3,000-capacity fan zone, a 400-bed hotel (part of the Radisson group), a new club shop and museum. —Tom Burrows, The Athletic, 23 Mar. 2025

Social media trends come and go, but one craze that appears to have outstayed its welcome is the desire to mock millennials (people born between 1981 and 1996). —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025

Noun

Jacksonville Jaguars - Mason Graham, DT, Michigan The Jaguars, as every mock seems to have, take Mason Graham to shore up the middle of their defense. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025

Another act had a mock Usha Vance singing about being a phony populist. —Shawn McCreesh, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2025

Adjective

This is the version (1.0) version of his mock draft, and there could easily be revisions made necessary by trades, medical history and players rising and falling. —Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 21 Mar. 2025

One surprising faller in the latest mock draft from Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report is top tight end prospect Tyler Warren. —Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 20 Mar. 2025

Adverb

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

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

Rhymes for mock

• balk
• baulk
• bloc
• bock
• broch
• brock
• calk
• caulk
• chalk
• chock
• clock
• cock

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