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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of parodying
Influencer comedians like Madison Humphrey and Mitsy Sanderson have built large platforms parodying awkward moments.
—
Rachel Hale, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
Heidecker — the mind behind projects including The Tim and Eric Show and On Cinema — has been parodying Jones for years.
—Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2026
And of course Burrs, whom Donica plays with titanic, Sweeney-esque feeling and force of baritone, is all the more self-hating and compromised, having made a career parodying himself.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2026
The cliffhanger of the previous season, which saw Lister impregnated by his female self from an alternate universe, is dismissed with a pre-episode text crawl parodying Star Wars, which irreverently moved way too fast to read.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 Mar. 2026
In response, track athlete Alysia Montaño crafted a video in conjunction with the New York Times, parodying Nike’s sponsor’s ad.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
These are the exact type of tried-and-true New Yorkers and New York hip-hop heads the Bodega Boys blew up by parodying with their frequently unhinged back-and-forth.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026
After an extended bit featuring host Nikki Glaser parodying Nicole Kidman’s AMC ads, a very loose Snoop Dogg introduced, for some reason, the award for best podcast.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
The scene came in a fictional segment parodying Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead in which Maggie defends her architectural talents after her daycare teacher punishes her for making beautiful structures from building blocks.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Dec. 2025
Rachel Hale, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026
Heidecker — the mind behind projects including The Tim and Eric Show and On Cinema — has been parodying Jones for years.
—Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2026
And of course Burrs, whom Donica plays with titanic, Sweeney-esque feeling and force of baritone, is all the more self-hating and compromised, having made a career parodying himself.
—Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 19 Mar. 2026
The cliffhanger of the previous season, which saw Lister impregnated by his female self from an alternate universe, is dismissed with a pre-episode text crawl parodying Star Wars, which irreverently moved way too fast to read.
—Robert Lea, Space.com, 14 Mar. 2026
In response, track athlete Alysia Montaño crafted a video in conjunction with the New York Times, parodying Nike’s sponsor’s ad.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
These are the exact type of tried-and-true New Yorkers and New York hip-hop heads the Bodega Boys blew up by parodying with their frequently unhinged back-and-forth.
—Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 6 Feb. 2026
After an extended bit featuring host Nikki Glaser parodying Nicole Kidman’s AMC ads, a very loose Snoop Dogg introduced, for some reason, the award for best podcast.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 12 Jan. 2026
The scene came in a fictional segment parodying Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead in which Maggie defends her architectural talents after her daycare teacher punishes her for making beautiful structures from building blocks.
—Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parodying
Verb
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Punk then resorted to mocking Reigns.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
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In non-CinemaCon news, the looksmaxx influencer managed to unite the internets in mocking his dew-eyed meltdown and interview walk-off over being asked modestly difficult questions about his reputation (instead of being asked, say, which moisturizer is best for post-jaw hammering).—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Life imitating art By the time Artemis astronauts begin assembling a real foothold at the Moon’s south pole, the blueprint will feel oddly familiar, at least to those sim addicts who have been dreaming of a functional moon colony for decades now.—
Alan Bradley,
Space.com,
22 Apr. 2026
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Both of us remember childhood weekends spent recording our own camcorder sketch shows — Lee imitating Dana Carvey’s Ross Perot and Molly Shannon’s Mary Catherine Gallagher, Jenn pushing the boundaries of absurdism far past the point of actually getting laughs.—
Lee Kelly,
PEOPLE,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Foo Fighters, pretty much the definition of a major international 21st century rock band, is doing a pop-up show in Bridgeport.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
25 Apr. 2026
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What Laura is doing is really important, but other things are really important to her.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Faragher said that live jamming and spoofing awareness maps such as those provided by SkAI Data Services can already be integrated into electronic flight bags, the digital information management system used by crews.—
Katie Hunt,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
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The solution is equipped with a dual-constellation GNSS receiver, integrating signals from military constellations, Galileo PRS, and civilian GPS, and providing resistance to spoofing, with enhanced accuracy and availability.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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People in the entertainment industry have slammed AI for mimicking artists’ voices and likenesses.—
Daniel Wine,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
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Wiseman hypothesized that stronger magnetic fields may affect the brain, similar to how electrical stimulation of the angular gyrus can make one feel as if there is another person standing behind, mimicking one’s movements.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Parodying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parodying. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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