spoof

1 of 2

verb

spoofed; spoofing; spoofs
Synonyms of spoof

transitive verb

1
2
: to make good-natured fun of

spoof

2 of 2

noun

1
2
: a light humorous parody
spoofery noun
spoofy adjective

Examples of spoof in a Sentence

Verb spoofed overly competitive parents in a mockumentary about tryouts for a national T-ball team the newspaper was spoofed by a supposedly plausible claim of a UFO encounter Noun many viewers thought that the spoof of a television newscast was the real thing
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Verb
Still, scammers can spoof sender names or make email addresses look convincing. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 10 June 2026 Candyman, the 1992 movie starring the late Tony Todd as the titular character, was spoofed when Shorty stood in front of a mirror and chanted Candyman over and over again to try to reach the character. Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
Noun
Based on the Apple TV series, the fizzy throwback spoofs Golden Age musicals, and follows an on-the-rocks couple who are trapped in a town where people sing and dance incessantly. Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 8 June 2026 Early-aughts nostalgia paid off better than ’80s, as Masters of the Universe’s box-office numbers trailed behind the horror spoof. Bethy Squires, Vulture, 7 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for spoof

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Spoof, a hoaxing game invented by Arthur Roberts †1933 English comedian

First Known Use

Verb

1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of spoof was in 1889

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Spoof.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spoof. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.

Kids Definition

spoof

verb
ˈspüf
: to make good-natured fun of
spoof noun

More from Merriam-Webster on spoof

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster