mock

verb

\ˈmäk,

ˈmȯk\

mocked; mocking; mocks

Definition of mock

(Entry 1 of 4)

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

4a : 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

mock

noun

Definition of mock (Entry 2 of 4)

1 : an act of ridicule or derision : jeer

2 : one that is an object of derision or scorn

3 : mockery

4a : an act of imitation

b : something made as an imitation

mock

adjective

Definition of mock (Entry 3 of 4)

: of, relating to, or having the character of an imitation : simulated, feigned the mock solemnity of the parody

mock

adverb

Definition of mock (Entry 4 of 4)

: in an insincere or counterfeit manner —usually used in combination mock-serious

Other Words from mock Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about mock

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Choose the Right Synonym for mock

Verb

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, slavish, 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

Popovich is infamous for his genre-mocking sideline interviews. — Scott Ostler, San Francisco Chronicle, "Postcards from the Warriors’ siege of Spurs," 20 Apr. 2018 Well-groomed with a self-mocking sense of humor, Nonn may not seem like the conventional outdoorsy type. — Tibor Krausz, The Christian Science Monitor, "Why this Thai businessman was named a ‘biodiversity hero’," 4 Apr. 2018 The 90th edition of the Academy Awards came and went Sunday evening, filling its nearly four hours with laughter and tears, self-mocking and self-celebration and more than a usual amount of music. — Robert Lloyd, latimes.com, "90th Academy Awards show speaks up yet keeps the smiles coming," 5 Mar. 2018 By the time draft night came around, most mocks projected Johnson would be picked late in the second round if at all. — Jordan Guskey, Indianapolis Star, "Pacers draft picks 2018: What you need to know about Alize Johnson," 22 June 2018 While everyone in the press focused on Deadpool’s line mocking the dark tones of the DC cinematic universe, the best in-joke in the trailer has the antihero being riddled with bullets after trying to deflect them with his swords. — Chris Thilk, The Hollywood Reporter, "'Deadpool 2' Marketing Blitz Bets on Too Much Being Just Enough," 14 May 2018 GoDaddy banned the Stormer after its editor wrote a vulgar post mocking Heather Heyer, a woman who was killed during last year's white supremacist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "GoDaddy has shut down Richard Spencer’s white supremacist site," 7 May 2018 There was Don Imus, mocking Bill and Hillary Clinton in 1996. — Staff, cleveland.com, "Comment here on cleveland.com court and crime stories for Monday, April 30, 2018," 30 Apr. 2018 In an unusual development, the hackers inserted lines of text in the malware associated with the Japanese attacks mocking the security researchers. — Fortune, "Chinese Hackers Targeted Japanese Defense Firms for North Korean Secrets, Experts Say," 22 Apr. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Like Brunson, he is considered a late first-round pick in some mocks, an early second-round choice in others. — Joe Juliano, Philly.com, "Four Villanova players will be taken in the NBA draft. Will they all be in the first round?," 19 June 2018 Since the 512 actual rooms and suites are still under construction, Traveler got a preview of a full-scale mock up, including a full hallway and king room, built in one of JFK’s cargo warehouses. — Meredith Carey, Condé Nast Traveler, "Inside the Game-Changing New TWA Hotel at JFK International Airport," 17 Apr. 2018 In this mock, the Saints work out a deal with the New England Patriots for the first of their two second-round picks. — NOLA.com, "New Orleans Saints Mock Draft 4.0: Trade bolsters pass rush," 9 Apr. 2018 Outside La Carreta restaurant in Hialeah, some of the customers finished off their Saturday morning breakfasts by signing petitions at a table where a mock wanted poster for Raúl Castro had been set up. — Mimi Whitefield, miamiherald, "Campaign intensifies to indict Raúl Castro for deadly 1996 shoot-down of exile planes," 27 June 2018 The pick: Bagley Zach Buckley also had the Kings drafting Ayton in a previous mock. — Noel Harris, sacbee, "Kings mock drafts: A new favorite has emerged with the No. 1 pick all but certain," 7 June 2018 Reflecting on a decade of Jason Jones' mocks, and how the Kings compared Sacramento media survey: Pick or pass on these prospects for Kings? — Jon Schultz, sacbee, "A procrastinator's guide to the Sacramento Kings’ 2018 NBA draft," 21 June 2018 The company has showcased the idea in a 3D mock-up video, gathering interest from potential customers in Asia, Ricci said, without naming any company. — Marie Mawad And Ania Nussbaum, chicagotribune.com, "Flying trains could be coming your way," 11 July 2018 This would complete a meteoric rise up the Draft board for Huerter, who was nowhere to be found on most mocks anywhere near the first round before Chicago. — Katherine Fominykh, baltimoresun.com, "NBA mock draft roundup: When Maryland's Kevin Huerter and Justin Jackson might go Thursday," 20 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

They are also slated to conduct mock hacking attempts on state computer systems. — Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Russians attempted to break into Wisconsin voter registration system, but state not mentioned in indictment," 13 July 2018 The Detroit area boasts two major testing sites for autonomous vehicles, sprawling compounds of interstates, guardrails, and mock pedestrians and bicyclists that companies and researchers use to test their technology. — New York Times, "Trump’s Trade War With China Pierces the Heart of Michigan," 12 July 2018 In a mock job-recruitment study, participants acting as employers were given a backstory about their company with both relevant and irrelevant details about the company’s history and current programs. — Eric Vanepps, Time, "The Best Way to Get People to Tell the Truth, According to Science," 11 July 2018 Prince Harry joined in on the fun and gave the toddler a mock scolding by wagging his finger at him. — Erin Hill, PEOPLE.com, "This Toddler Couldn't Stop Touching Meghan Markle's Hair and Prince Harry Wasn't Having It!," 11 July 2018 The famous social psychology exercise involved breaking groups of students into guards and inmates in a mock prison scenario and claimed to show that each group adapted to its role in dramatic ways. — Mitch Stacy, chicagotribune.com, "Psychology museum explores what makes us human," 10 July 2018 The first two oral arguments take place in a mock courtroom in the law school. — David Jesse, Detroit Free Press, "Possible Supreme Court pick Kethledge's ties to University of Michigan," 9 July 2018 KFC of South Africa is trying to capitalize on this World Cup notoriety in a recent commercial that appears to mock Neymar’s rolling. — Sarah Gray, Fortune, "South African KFC Commercial Mocks Neymar's World Cup Rolling. Check it Out," 5 July 2018 Chelmsford police organized a mock fatal car crash scene to illustrate the danger of drinking and driving for juniors and seniors at Chelmsford High School. — Maddie Kilgannon, BostonGlobe.com, "High school students learn the consequences of drunk driving," 13 May 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb

The artists Kenya (Robinson) and Doreen Garner are sitting mock-regally on a divan in a moody Gramercy cocktail bar. — Adam Davidson, The New Yorker, "The Podcast as Performance Art," 28 Jan. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'mock.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of mock

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

History and Etymology for mock

Verb

Middle English, from moker

Noun

see mock entry 1

Adjective

see mock entry 1

Adverb

see mock entry 1

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Dictionary Entries near mock

Statistics for mock

Last Updated

14 Oct 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for mock

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

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More Definitions for mock

mock

verb

English Language Learners Definition of mock

(Entry 1 of 3)

: to laugh at or make fun of (someone or something) especially by copying an action or a way of behaving or speaking

: to criticize and laugh at (someone or something) for being bad, worthless, or unimportant

mock

noun

English Language Learners Definition of mock (Entry 2 of 3)

: an exam that does not count and that is done to practice for a real exam : a mock exam

mock

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of mock (Entry 3 of 3)

: not based on real or honest feelings

: done or performed to look like the real thing

See the full definition for mock in the English Language Learners Dictionary

mock

verb

\ˈmäk

mocked; mocking

Kids Definition of mock

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : to treat with scorn : ridicule Stanley had also tried to explain that he needed to save his energy … but the other boys just mocked him.— Louis Sachar, Holes