mocked; mocking; mocks
1
: to treat with contempt or ridicule : deride
he has been mocked as a mama's boy—
C. P. Pierce
C. P. Pierce2
: to disappoint the hopes of
for any government to mock men's hopes with mere words and promises and gestures—D. D. Eisenhower
D. D. Eisenhower3
4
a
: to imitate (someone or something) closely : mimic
a mockingbird was mocking a cardinal—Nelson Hayes
Nelson Hayes
b
: to mimic in sport or derision
followed the old man along the street mocking his gait
mocker
noun
: in an insincere or counterfeit manner
—usually used in combination
mock-serious
Synonyms
Verb
Noun
Adjective
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 WebBarry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
This sparked criticism at the time and is widely considered unacceptable today given the history of blackface being used to mock caricatures of African Americans in minstrel shows.
—USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
According to the complaint, the family was sitting at a nearby table when George approached them and started mocking the couple's daughter, who was described as having Down syndrome and was wheelchair bound.
—Stepheny Price, Fox News, 5 Apr. 2024
In 2023, the internet went ablaze mocking a monstrous AI video of Will Smith eating spaghetti.
—Reece Rogers, WIRED, 2 Apr. 2024
In fact, Southerners had long mocked Northerners as cowards.
—Jon Grinspan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
After being mocked as a lottery pick at one point, he’s now dropped to the late-first-round range in most mock drafts.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2024
When speak about Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who's prosecuting the Georgia election fraud case against Trump, the former president mocked her name during the Ohio rally, for instance.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
How often have you been mocked (or mocked someone else) over the green text bubbles that appear when an iPhone user texts a non-iPhone user?
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 29 Mar. 2024
Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Miller's mock has the top wide receivers off the board by no. 9 and instead the Bears choose to protect their new quarterback (Williams), who Fashanu played with in high school.
—Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024
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
Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2024
The singer appeared on the balcony of a mock motel that had been created for her gig at the festival.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
In an earlier mock draft, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler sent him to Miami at 55.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
The joke was accompanied by a mock news report featuring Paramount film distribution president Aronson, who was pictured holding a cardboard sign soliciting donations.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
When the Suns’ Devin Booker hit four free throws late in the period, the crowd responded with mock cheers.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Nettles said in mock horror about the country-leaning collection that secured Bey’s eighth chart-topper on the album chart.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2024
And the New York Giants have been loosely linked to various quarterback prospects in mock drafts as of late.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2024
Then, in 2022, The Star’s first mock draft had defensive end George Karlaftis, wide receiver Skyy Moore and offensive lineman Darian Kinnard.
—Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 2024
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
Verb
Kiper mocks him 31st in his mock draft this week; Miller mocks him 44th.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
This sparked criticism at the time and is widely considered unacceptable today given the history of blackface being used to mock caricatures of African Americans in minstrel shows.
—USA TODAY, 9 Apr. 2024
According to the complaint, the family was sitting at a nearby table when George approached them and started mocking the couple's daughter, who was described as having Down syndrome and was wheelchair bound.
—Stepheny Price, Fox News, 5 Apr. 2024
In 2023, the internet went ablaze mocking a monstrous AI video of Will Smith eating spaghetti.
—Reece Rogers, WIRED, 2 Apr. 2024
In fact, Southerners had long mocked Northerners as cowards.
—Jon Grinspan, Smithsonian Magazine, 1 Apr. 2024
After being mocked as a lottery pick at one point, he’s now dropped to the late-first-round range in most mock drafts.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 29 Mar. 2024
When speak about Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who's prosecuting the Georgia election fraud case against Trump, the former president mocked her name during the Ohio rally, for instance.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 31 Mar. 2024
How often have you been mocked (or mocked someone else) over the green text bubbles that appear when an iPhone user texts a non-iPhone user?
—Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
Bleacher Report’s latest mock projects Furphy No. 28 overall to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 10 Apr. 2024
Miller's mock has the top wide receivers off the board by no. 9 and instead the Bears choose to protect their new quarterback (Williams), who Fashanu played with in high school.
—Ayrton Ostly, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024
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
Adjective
Rice was an example in last year’s draft, as KC selected him ahead of where most mock drafts projected.
—Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 14 Apr. 2024
The singer appeared on the balcony of a mock motel that had been created for her gig at the festival.
—Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
In an earlier mock draft, The Athletic’s Dane Brugler sent him to Miami at 55.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024
The joke was accompanied by a mock news report featuring Paramount film distribution president Aronson, who was pictured holding a cardboard sign soliciting donations.
—Matt Donnelly, Variety, 11 Apr. 2024
When the Suns’ Devin Booker hit four free throws late in the period, the crowd responded with mock cheers.
—Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 10 Apr. 2024
Nettles said in mock horror about the country-leaning collection that secured Bey’s eighth chart-topper on the album chart.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 8 Apr. 2024
And the New York Giants have been loosely linked to various quarterback prospects in mock drafts as of late.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2024
Then, in 2022, The Star’s first mock draft had defensive end George Karlaftis, wide receiver Skyy Moore and offensive lineman Darian Kinnard.
—Jesse Newell, Kansas City Star, 1 Apr. 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
Phrases Containing mock
Dictionary Entries Near mock
Cite this Entry
“Mock.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mock. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
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
mock
2 of 3 noun1
: an act of mocking : jeer
2
: someone or something that is made fun of
mock
3 of 3 adjective
: not real : imitation
More from Merriam-Webster on mock
Nglish: Translation of mock for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of mock for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share