mock 1 of 3

verb

ˈmäk How to pronounce mock (audio)
Definition of mocknext
1
as in to parody
to copy or exaggerate (someone or something) in order to make fun of team members good-naturedly mocked the coach's familiar bellow

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2
as in to ridicule
to make (someone or something) the object of unkind laughter the fashion gurus loved to mock the famous couple for their unsophisticated clothes

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to disobey
to go against the commands, prohibitions, or rules of a person willing to mock the religious prohibition against working on the Sabbath

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mock

2 of 3

adjective

1
as in faux
being such in appearance only and made with or manufactured from usually cheaper materials mock turtle soup

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2
as in fake
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality since I had inadvertently learned what I was getting, I opened the present with mock surprise

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mock

3 of 3

noun

1
as in joke
a person or thing that is made fun of they made a mock of the new recruit in front of the whole unit

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2
as in copy
something that is made to look exactly like something else obviously, the "priceless" Grecian urn that is destroyed in the movie was a mock

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word mock distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of mock are ape, copy, imitate, and mimic. While all these words mean "to make something so that it resembles an existing thing," mock usually implies imitation with derision.

mocking a vain man's pompous manner

When is ape a more appropriate choice than mock?

The synonyms ape and mock are sometimes interchangeable, but ape may suggest presumptuous, slavish, or inept imitating of a superior original.

American fashion designers aped their European colleagues

When would copy be a good substitute for mock?

While the synonyms copy and mock are close in meaning, copy suggests duplicating an original as nearly as possible.

copied the painting and sold the fake as an original

Where would imitate be a reasonable alternative to mock?

Although the words imitate and mock have much in common, imitate suggests following a model or a pattern but may allow for some variation.

imitate a poet's style

When is it sensible to use mimic instead of mock?

While in some cases nearly identical to mock, mimic implies a close copying (as of voice or mannerism) often for fun, ridicule, or lifelike imitation.

pupils mimicking their teacher

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of mock
Verb
But other hashtags that focused more squarely on mocking the United States, or on touting China’s strengths, were allowed to trend — and in fact were explicitly initiated by state media. —Vivian Wang, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2025 Four days ago, Tony Fabrizio, Trump's pollster, used the news that Axiom was laying off 10% of its workforce to mock Roe. —Alex Isenstadt, Axios, 8 Apr. 2025
Adjective
Resume workshops, mock interviews, and financial literacy classes are often replaced with endless standardized testing. —Jasmine Browley, Essence, 1 Apr. 2025 Most mock drafts place her as the No. 2 pick behind Connecticut star Paige Bueckers. —Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 29 Mar. 2025
Noun
Another interesting part of this mock is the Cleveland Browns pull a similar move as the Giants and trade up for quarterback Jaxon Dart. —Lee Habeeb, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Apr. 2025 In The Athletic’s beat writer mock last week, the Rams indeed traded down in a deal with the Buffalo Bills that required just two picks from the Chiefs’ top AFC rival. —Nate Taylor, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for mock
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mock
  1. parody
  2. ridicule
  3. disobey
  4. faux
  5. fake
  6. joke
  7. copy
  8. imitate
Verb
  • During her opening monologue, Madison — who was previously parodied by SNL cast member Heidi Gardner earlier in the season — poked fun at her stripper skills in the award-winning project.
    — Nicholas Rice, People.com, 30 Mar. 2025
  • Schiaparelli’s latest show took a more traditional turn, its goal to be making modernity out of antiquity, but up until this show, Daniel Roseberry has taken great care to make a body of work at Schiaparelli that honors and practically parodies the intricate details of human body features.
    — Aamina Inayat Khan, StyleCaster, 5 Mar. 2025
Definition of parody
Verb
  • Another aspect to note is that the AI didn’t ridicule me or otherwise play any tomfoolery about my need for assistance.
    — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 5 Apr. 2025
  • His visit to a military base in Greenland to deliver a speech was ridiculed amid unwanted overtures from the U.S. to annex Greenland.
    — Ron Estes, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Mar. 2025
Definition of ridicule
Verb
  • Meanwhile, Ben Warren is also trying to win back Teddy’s confidence after disobeying her orders during the heat wave.
    — Laura Bradley, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025
  • Pike faced a momentous decision: follow orders to retreat, or disobey them to rescue his crew.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 2 Apr. 2025
Definition of disobey
Adjective
  • Roughly 1,600 square feet includes just one bedroom—a primary suite with a faux living wall and access to a wraparound balcony—but the open-plan great room comes with a handy Murphy bed for guests.
    — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 10 Apr. 2025
  • Both the Oppo Find X6 Ultra and Find X7 Ultra had a dual-tone finish where half the phone featured a faux leather back.
    — Prakhar Khanna, Forbes.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Definition of faux
Adjective
  • These platforms sell complete phishing kits—web hosting, SMS delivery systems, fake landing pages, encryption tools—to other cybercriminals who want to run scams at scale.
    — Alex Vakulov, Forbes.com, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Nancy Marks, Santos’ former campaign treasurer, admitted to filing bogus campaign finance reports filled with fake donors and a fake $500,000 personal loan from Santos.
    — Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2025
Definition of fake
Noun
  • Meanwhile, Corden, as the event’s emcee, made some uncomfortable jokes about the Dow dropping 2200 points last Friday.
    — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2025
  • These jokes referenced economic news of the past week.
    — John W. Dean, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Apr. 2025
Definition of joke
Noun
  • Over 1,300 federal employees impacted by the Department of Education's March 11 reduction in force received their official separation notices Thursday, according to copies reviewed by ABC News.
    — Arthur Jones II, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2025
  • The outlet reported that the Biden administration did send copies of the report to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees in December 2022, but the report was never made available online by the administration.
    — Michael Dorgan, FOXNews.com, 10 Apr. 2025
Definition of copy
Verb
  • Moreover, these models can imitate individuals' or industries' writing styles and wording.
    — Kevin Korte, Forbes.com, 8 Apr. 2025
  • This is how and why cinema could shatter the Aristotelian unities, resurrect orality in the age of literacy, and become the technological medium par excellence imitated by new mediums like video games and VR.
    — Big Think, Big Think, 8 Apr. 2025
Definition of imitate

Browse Nearby Words

moccasins
mock
mocked
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Cite this Entry

“Mock.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mock. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.

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