n. 1 caricature, lampoon, spoof, parody, satire, mockery, travesty, Colloq take-off; (grotesque) imitation, vulgarization, exaggeration In the mid-19th century, burlesques drove pantomimes off the stage 2 US striptease, strip show, nudie or girlie show The old comedians insist that burlesque acts were an art form, but the audience went just for the girls
v. 3 satirize, take off, lampoon, spoof, parody, caricature, travesty Cervantes burlesqued the old romances in Don Quixote
adj. 4 satirical, derisive, mock-heroic, mock-pathetic She sang a burlesque opera based on Hamlet, called 'Omelette'