I. ˈmäk, ˈmȯk verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English mocken, mokken, from Middle French mocquer, from Old French moquier
transitive verb
1. : to treat with scorn or contempt or ridicule : deride
mocked him for showing fear
insolently mocking the poor
2. : to disappoint the hopes of : deceive , delude
for any government to mock men's hopes with mere words and promises and gestures — D.D.Eisenhower
3. : defy , disregard
it's mocking Heaven to run away and want to earn your own living — Israel Zangwill
4.
a. : imitate , mimic
a mockingbird was mocking a cardinal — Nelson Hayes
b. : to mimic sport or derision : ridicule by mimicry
followed the old man along the street mocking his gait
5. obsolete : pretend , feign , simulate
mocking marriage with a dame of France — Shakespeare
6. : to make a sham of
the presence of the Red Army mocked the concessions and vitiated the propaganda — New Republic
intransitive verb
: to treat a person or thing with scorn, contempt, or ridicule — often used with at
was mocked at by the others
Synonyms: see copy , ridicule
II. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English mokk, from mokken, v.
1. : an act of ridicule or derision : sneer , gibe
make a mock of him
2. : one that is an object of or is deserving of ridicule, derision, or scorn
3. : mockery , ridicule
take to heart what was said in mock
4.
a. : an act of imitation
b. : something made as an imitation
III. adjective
: of the character of an imitation, parody, or semblance : simulated
houses in a variety of styles from mock Moorish to mock Tudor — Peter Ustinov
mock seam
mock marriage
mock oyster
mock epic
: sham
a custom of appointing a … mock king to represent the real king for a time — J.G.Frazer
: false , pseudo , quasi
the curious mock daylight which even a light fall of snow gives to a morning — Mary Webb
: feigned : mimicked
the mock solemnity of the parody
IV. adverb
: in an insincere or counterfeit manner — usually used in combination
a gabbing, ambitious, mock -tough, pretentious young man — Dylan Thomas
a fawn trench coat mock -modestly covering a neat green uniform — Sean O'Casey
V. noun
( -s )
Etymology: origin unknown
1. dialect England : the stump and root of a tree
2. dialect England : a large block or stick ; specifically : a piece of wood usually burned at Christmas