as in mocking
to copy or exaggerate (someone or something) in order to make fun of
parodying a public figure's distinctive mannerisms takes particular talent
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Recent Examples of parodying
This Halloween, the two-time Emmy Award-winning host is paying tribute to scary singles by parodying popular television dating shows of the past — and dressing as their male hosts.
—
Lex Goldstein, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Meta/Facebook has rolled out engaging bots, parodying famous personas such as Jane Austen; Snapchat has offered a chatbot to individual users.
—John Wihbey, Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025
By parodying the spectacle that once defined him, James cleverly reclaims the narrative, turning an infamous moment into a savvy branding opportunity.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 7 Oct. 2025
The cold open featured a too-convincing Colin Jost as Pete Hegseth, parodying his anti-DEI speech-slash-Ted-Talk to soldiers, with James Austin Johnson’s Trump coming on soon after to recap his summer.
—Rima Parikh, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2025
Katie Couric is parodying Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle jeans ad for a good cause.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2025
What To Know The Democratic governor of California has recently taken on a new strategy to oppose Trump—parodying the president's brash social media style to mock him.
—Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Though the movie is accessible to new fans, there are plenty of winks and nods for diehards who can understand what might seem, to the uninitiated, like cheesy moments—a cringeworthy English rap verse, a scene parodying the product placement in K-dramas—as self-aware jokes.
—Yvonne Kim, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
That has included Newsom ramping up his social media presence, frequently parodying Trump with the all-caps statements that the president uses, as well as launching a merchandise shop that features many of the slogans Trump has on his signature hats, only with Newsom’s name swapped in.
—Zach Lachance, The Washington Examiner, 7 Sep. 2025
Lex Goldstein, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Meta/Facebook has rolled out engaging bots, parodying famous personas such as Jane Austen; Snapchat has offered a chatbot to individual users.
—John Wihbey, Big Think, 7 Oct. 2025
By parodying the spectacle that once defined him, James cleverly reclaims the narrative, turning an infamous moment into a savvy branding opportunity.
—Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 7 Oct. 2025
The cold open featured a too-convincing Colin Jost as Pete Hegseth, parodying his anti-DEI speech-slash-Ted-Talk to soldiers, with James Austin Johnson’s Trump coming on soon after to recap his summer.
—Rima Parikh, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2025
Katie Couric is parodying Sydney Sweeney’s controversial American Eagle jeans ad for a good cause.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Sep. 2025
What To Know The Democratic governor of California has recently taken on a new strategy to oppose Trump—parodying the president's brash social media style to mock him.
—Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Though the movie is accessible to new fans, there are plenty of winks and nods for diehards who can understand what might seem, to the uninitiated, like cheesy moments—a cringeworthy English rap verse, a scene parodying the product placement in K-dramas—as self-aware jokes.
—Yvonne Kim, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
That has included Newsom ramping up his social media presence, frequently parodying Trump with the all-caps statements that the president uses, as well as launching a merchandise shop that features many of the slogans Trump has on his signature hats, only with Newsom’s name swapped in.
—Zach Lachance, The Washington Examiner, 7 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parodying
Verb
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The president has spent much of the shutdown mocking Democrats, posting videos of House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries in a Mexican sombrero.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
3 Nov. 2025
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Netflix’s true-crime documentaries have a recognizable sheen to them—the streamer even released a comedy series mocking its take on the genre.—
Paula Mejía,
The Atlantic,
2 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Maybe that was just art-making imitating life.—
Thomas Page,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
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How does this help democracy, imitating what Texas is doing?—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Hi hi hello, how is everyone doing this lovely Sunday?—
Rosalind Bowling,
Nashville Tennessean,
26 Oct. 2025
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In Atlanta in 2018, young tight end Austin Hooper learned that Paulsen was also doing scouting reports on tight ends who were upcoming draft prospects for the staff and for his agent.—
Jourdan Rodrigue,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Twice now, the Mamdani campaign has rolled out television spots aimed at co-opting and spoofing huge entertainment industry franchises — ABC’s The Bachelor and CBS’ Survivor.—
Peter Kiefer,
HollywoodReporter,
23 Oct. 2025
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One common tactic is account spoofing.—
Marin Independent Journal,
Mercury News,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Join me in mimicking Markle’s smart layering trick by shopping for similar tops, sweaters, hats, and jeans.—
Izzy Baskette,
PEOPLE,
31 Oct. 2025
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Performing stand-up since the age of 15, Nasso first discovered his knack for impressions while mimicking SpongeBob and Shrek characters as a mustachioed, 160-pound 10-year-old boy.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
29 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Parodying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parodying. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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