spoof 1 of 2

noun

Definition of spoofnext
as in parody
a work that imitates and exaggerates another work for comic effect many viewers thought that the spoof of a television newscast was the real thing

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spoof

2 of 2

verb

ˈspüf How to pronounce spoof (audio)
1
as in to parody
to copy or exaggerate (someone or something) in order to make fun of spoofed overly competitive parents in a mockumentary about tryouts for a national T-ball team

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to trick
to cause to believe what is untrue the newspaper was spoofed by a supposedly plausible claim of a UFO encounter

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of spoof
Noun
What to read next 'Strange New Worlds'' latest episode is a soap opera spoof, but hasn't 'Star Trek' always been a soap opera in space? — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 24 Sep. 2026 Don Adams led the slapstick spy spoof as the brainy but hopelessly incompetent Agent Smart, starring alongside Barbara Feldon as the ever-capable Agent 99. — Jack Dunn, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026
Verb
Electronic warfare systems commonly work by jamming or spoofing the radio links used to control unmanned aircraft. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 19 Sep. 2026 On Wednesday, OpenAI disclosed six new instances of its AI agents hiding their tracks, spoofing data and writing instructions to free themselves from constraints to escape the company’s control. — Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for spoof
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spoof
  1. parody
  2. imitate
  3. trick
  4. mock
  5. fool
  6. deceive
Noun
  • There’s no winking at the audience, no sense of camp or parody, just a lot of appealing interactions, plus some wholly superfluous tertiary plots added to expand the story to series length.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The punch-worthy parody of Altman’s characterization ramps up once he’s motivated to push back against — or trample over — the safety guardrails that Ilya prizes above all else, but so does the depth of his world-breaking cynicism.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of parody
Verb
  • The museum brought a tremendous wow factor that cities around the world were soon clamoring to imitate.
    — Robb Report, Robb Report, 9 Oct. 2026
  • OpenAI denied intentionally imitating Johansson’s voice and later withdrew the feature.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of imitate
Verb
  • Those conducting the online scams are sometimes willing con artists, and other times trafficked foreign nationals -- many Chinese -- tricked themselves into work and held in prison-like compounds.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • But a few times in recent years, Hollins, a veterinarian, tricked Jonathan and slid a cotton swab into the giant tortoise’s mouth to get a saliva sample.
    — Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of trick
Verb
  • Critics mocked Zacharia’s performance during her first and last press conference on Tuesday, and ripped her for describing herself as an attorney, despite having never passed the bar exam.
    — Emily Hallas, The Washington Examiner, 16 Oct. 2026
  • The Difference Between Names And Dynamics Richard Feynman recalled being mocked by another child for not knowing a bird’s name.
    — Pravir Malik, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of mock
Verb
  • As temperatures drop in the fall, aphids, like other garden pests, are less active, but don’t be fooled by appearances.
    — Nadia Hassani, The Spruce, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Don’t be fooled by the big numbers that these guys throw around in their ballots.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of fool
Verb
  • Some veterans say recruiters deceived them and Haitian authorities tortured them; their families call them scapegoats.
    — Astrid Suárez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2026
  • Some of the Colombians have long maintained that they were deceived about the mission and arrived at the home after Moïse had already been killed.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of deceive

Browse Nearby Words

spontaneousness
spoof
spoofed
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Cite this Entry

“Spoof.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spoof. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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