lampoon

1 of 2

noun

lam·​poon lam-ˈpün 

: satire sense 1

specifically : a harsh satire usually directed against an individual

He said such ridiculous things that he was often the target of lampoons in the press.

lampoon

2 of 2

verb

lampooned; lampooning; lampoons

transitive verb

: to make the subject of a lampoon : ridicule

lampooner noun

lampoonery

lam-ˈpü-nə-rē 

-ˈpün-rē

noun

Did you know?

Lampoon can be a noun or a verb. The noun lampoon (meaning "satire" or, specifically, "a harsh satire usually directed against an individual") was first used in English in the 17th century and may be familiar from the names of humor publications such as The Harvard Lampoon and its now-defunct spinoff National Lampoon. Both the noun and the verb come from the French word lampon, which likely originated from lampons, a form of the verb lamper, meaning "to drink to the bottom." So what is the connection? Lampons! (meaning "Let us guzzle!"—that is, drink greedily) was a frequent refrain in 17th-century French satirical poems.

Synonyms

Noun

• pasquinade
• satire

Examples of lampoon in a Sentence

Noun

He said such ridiculous things that he was often the target of lampoons in the press.

this classic musical is a lampoon of the movie business at the time when sound was introduced

Verb

The politician was lampooned in cartoons.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Through its satirical lens, the musical lampoons the double standards that exist within the justice system, while also critiquing the way both parties manipulate the issue to score political points. —Michael Ghannoum, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Oct. 2024

Like Truffaut, Dupieux lampoons the infallible egos of some of France’s most famous actors, revealing the sparks that fly when those egos come crashing together on set. —Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 May 2024

Verb

Two paintings, for example, lampoon the rabbinic authorities who enforce religious law. —Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 5 Oct. 2024

The episode lampooned the boys’ purity rings and featured a very suggestive animated recreation of the concert film’s foam scenes. —John Russell, Peoplemag, 26 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

borrowed from 17th-century French lampon, perhaps from lampons! "let us drink up!", first plural imperative of lamper "to drink up, drink to the bottom quickly," nasalized variant of laper "to lap, lap up," going back to Vulgar Latin *lappāre, of expressive origin; allegedly from the use of lampons! in the refrains of verse satires

Note: This etymology is proffered by Hatzfeld-Darmstetter-Thomas's Dictionnaire générale de la langue française, vol. 2, 1895. The first citation offered is from Paul Scarron's Le virgile travesty (1648-53). The text of a satirical song containing lampons! is given in Pierre-Gustave Brunet's Le nouveau Siècle de Louis XIV, ou Choix de chansons historiques et satiriques presque toutes inédités, de 1634 à 1712 (Paris, 1857), pp. 5-10. (It is also the earliest use of the verb lamper recorded in the Trésor de la langue française.) Note, however, that a verb lamponner is entered in Randle Cotgrave's A Dictionary of the French and English Tongues (1611), cross-referred to lanterner "to quaffe, revel, feast it all night long," among other senses.

Verb

derivative of lampoon entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1645, in the meaning defined above

Verb

circa 1657, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

lampoon

1 of 2 noun

lam·​poon lam-ˈpün 

: a writing or drawing that makes fun of a person

lampoon

2 of 2 verb

: to make fun of by a lampoon : ridicule

lampooner noun