I. ˈspüf verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: from Spoof, a hoaxing game invented by Arthur Roberts died 1933 English comedian
transitive verb
1. : to deceive by a hoax : delude
managed to spoof and terrorize the local officials by impersonating a government inspector — Edmund Stevens
who had often been spoofed but who was still anxious to get at the truth — Saturday Review
2. : to make good-natured fun of often by means of a misrepresentation
the witty screenplay … spoofs this very quality — Los Angeles (Calif.) Examiner
a deft satire … it … spoofs traveling salesmen — Amy Loveman
spoof social customs — John McCarten
also : kid , guy
they're kidding you … don't let them spoof you — Agnes N. Keith
intransitive verb
1. : to use or practice deceit
honesty pays … if I spoof I shall get found out — Thomas Wood †1950
2. : to make fun of a person or thing often by means of a misrepresentation
their type of gently spoofing satirical fantasy — Time
also : kid , joke
hear a minstrel show man spoof about one oyster in the stew — Springfield (Massachusetts) Union
II. noun
( -s )
1.
a. : hoax , feint
one sees that the whole thing is a clumsy spoof — J.F.Runciman
one day a supposed spoof might be the real thing — W.R.Frye
b. : humbug , nonsense
only don't try any more spoof about me — Joyce Cary
2. : a light, amiable, humorous, but usually telling takeoff (as on human nature, customs, or manners) : parody
a pleasant spoof of all the moonstruck nonsense the movies have been dishing up — John McCarten
those quiet, unpretentious, but deliciously funny spoofs of national types and customs — Arthur Knight