INDEX:
1. to make fun of someone or something
2. to make fun of someone by saying the opposite of what you mean
3. something that makes fun of someone or something
4. someone that people make fun of
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ LAUGH
↑ JOKE
↑ CRITICIZE
↑ UNKIND
↑ STUPID/SILLY
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1. to make fun of someone or something
▷ make fun of /ˌmeɪk ˈfʌn ɒv/ [verb phrase]
to make someone or something seem stupid by making jokes about them :
▪ They made fun of the girls and their new outfits.
▪ You shouldn’t make fun of other people’s beliefs.
▪ Peter didn’t seem to realize that they were making fun of him.
▷ poke fun at /ˌpəʊk ˈfʌn æt/ [verb phrase]
to make fun of someone or something, especially in an unkind way :
▪ The other kids poked fun at him, saying his mother dressed him like a girl.
▪ His plays ingeniously poked fun at the way the Communist Party corrupted language.
▷ tease /tiːz/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to make jokes about someone when you talk to them, either in an unkind way, or in a friendly way that shows you like them :
▪ Sam’s sisters used to tease him because he was overweight.
▪ Don’t get upset, Stuart, she’s only teasing.
tease somebody about something
▪ Kevin’s always teasing me about my cooking.
▷ pull somebody’s leg /ˌpʊl somebodyˈs ˈleg/ [verb phrase] informal
to make fun of someone in a friendly way by telling something that is not true :
▪ Did Ronnie really call or are you just pulling my leg?
pull sb’s leg about
▪ Don’t worry. I was just pulling your leg about moving - I’m not going anywhere.
▷ taunt /tɔːnt/ [transitive verb]
to repeatedly say unpleasant things to someone that show you do not respect them, in order to make them angry or upset :
▪ She went on taunting him until he lost his temper.
▪ When I didn’t want to fight he would taunt me repeatedly. ‘Coward,’ he would say, ‘coward, coward, coward ....’
taunt somebody about something
▪ He couldn’t forget how they had taunted him about his appearance.
taunt [countable noun]
▪ Black players have to endure endless taunts.
▷ send up /ˌsend ˈʌp/ [transitive phrasal verb]
a book, film, or performance that sends up a group or person makes fun of them by copying them in a very funny way :
send up somebody
▪ Gibson’s new play brilliantly sends up the upper classes and their attitudes.
send somebody up
▪ Half the time, he uses his act to send himself up.
▷ sneer /snɪəʳ/ [intransitive verb]
to show by your unpleasant attitude or remarks that you do not have a high opinion of someone or what they do :
▪ Instead of helping, they just sat and sneered.
sneer at
▪ He wanted to prove something to the critics who had sneered at his paintings.
sneer [countable noun]
▪ ‘And who might you be?’ he said with a sneer.
▷ mock /mɒkǁmɑːk/ [intransitive/transitive verb]
to make fun of a person, institution, belief etc, and show that you do not have a high opinion of them, sometimes in a friendly way :
▪ Liz mocked him, saying that he was a coward.
▪ The press mocked his attempts to appeal to young voters.
▪ ‘Ooh, aren’t you clever!’ she mocked.
▪ You mustn’t mock -- it’s not their fault they don’t know much about art.
mocking /ˈmɒkɪŋǁˈmɑː-/ [adjective usually before noun]
▪ Their mocking laughter followed me out of the room, and echoed down the hall.
▪ ‘He won’t do it -- he hasn’t got the guts!’ said a mocking voice from behind.
▷ take the mickey /ˌteɪk ðə ˈmɪki/ [verb phrase] British informal
to make someone look stupid, in either a friendly or unfriendly way, for example by saying something you do not mean or by copying their behaviour :
▪ Just ignore him - he’s just taking the mickey.
▪ ‘You’re a genius - you should go on one of those quiz shows!’ ‘Are you taking the mickey?’
take the mickey out of
▪ They’re always taking the mickey out of each other, but they’re good friends really.
▷ take the piss /ˌteɪk ðə ˈpɪs/ [verb phrase] informal
to make fun of someone - some people consider this expression to be rude :
▪ I didn’t mean it - I was only taking the piss.
take the piss out of
▪ The show takes the piss out of virtually everyone, from politicians to eco-warriors.
2. to make fun of someone by saying the opposite of what you mean
▷ sarcastic /sɑːʳˈkæstɪk/ [adjective]
a sarcastic remark is one that makes fun of someone or something, because you say the opposite of what you really mean :
▪ The children kept coming out with sarcastic remarks like ‘Delicious!’ and ‘This is the best meal we’ve had in ages!’
▪ The funny thing was, she had no idea that I was being sarcastic.
sarcastic voice/tone
▪ ‘Oh yes, that would be really easy,’ she said in a sarcastic voice.
sarcastically [adverb]
▪ ‘Don’t work too hard, will you,’ said Kris sarcastically.
▷ sarcasm /ˈsɑːʳkæz ə m/ [uncountable noun]
remarks that make fun of someone, because you say the opposite of what you really mean :
▪ Susie found his sarcasm very hurtful, but she didn’t reply.
▪ ‘Oh, please don’t apologize,’ said Molly, her voice dripping with sarcasm in a very sarcastic voice .
heavy sarcasm
▪ ‘How generous of you,’ he drawled with heavy sarcasm.
a note of sarcasm
▪ Do I detect a note of sarcasm in your voice?
3. something that makes fun of someone or something
▷ spoof /spuːf/ [countable noun]
a film, book etc that makes fun of a serious type of film, book etc by copying it in a funny way :
spoof on/of
▪ ‘A Five Minute Hamlet’ is a very funny spoof of Shakespeare’s most famous play.
▪ The film was a spoof on Hollywood cop movies.
spoof [adjective only before noun]
▪ a mildly amusing spoof Western
▷ send-up /ˈsend ʌp/ [countable noun]
a performance, film, article etc that makes fun of a situation or the behaviour of a group of people by copying it in a funny way :
send-up of
▪ His most famous movie is a hilarious send-up of life in ancient Rome.
▷ parody /ˈpærədi/ [countable noun]
a piece of writing or music that is amusing because it makes fun of a famous piece of writing or music by clearly copying its style :
▪ She writes enjoyable parodies in the style of 19th century romantic novels.
parody of
▪ Tallis has written a cruel parody of Hartman’s prose.
▷ satire /ˈsætaɪəʳ/ [countable noun]
a book, film, or play that criticizes something such as the government or people’s behaviour by making fun of it in a clever way :
▪ This is her first serious novel; up till now she has only written political satires.
satire on
▪ The film is a stinging satire on American politics.
satirical /səˈtɪrɪk ə l, səˈtɪrək ə l/ [adjective]
▪ Jonathan Swift’s famous satirical novel, ‘Gulliver’s Travels’
4. someone that people make fun of
▷ the butt of something/somebody /ðə ˈbʌt əv something/somebody/ [noun phrase]
the person that someone often makes fun of or makes jokes about :
▪ New Jersey used to be the butt of TV comics.
the butt of jokes/humour
▪ His name has already made him the butt of many jokes.
▷ laughing stock /ˈlɑːfɪŋ ˌstɒkǁˈlæfɪŋ ˌstɑːk/ [singular noun]
if you are a laughing stock, a lot of people laugh at you because you have done something stupid or are very bad at something :
▪ We can’t do that - we’d be a laughing stock!
laughing stock of
▪ When they crashed to defeat, they were the laughing stock of the tennis world.