mocking 1 of 3

mocking

2 of 3

noun

mocking

3 of 3

verb

present participle of mock
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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 mocking
Adjective
To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country! Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
Noun
Paul’s confidence was growing, and the left tackle seemingly responded to his challengers by laughing at their efforts in a mocking manner. Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 26 June 2026 Arteta and his Arsenal squad have, of course, downplayed the noise around the club this season, arguing that the widespread mocking doesn’t impact the inner sanctum of the team. Ben Church, CNN Money, 20 Apr. 2026 Afroman celebrated his legal victory in a video on Wednesday after winning a defamation lawsuit filed by several Ohio sheriff's deputies who accused the rapper of mocking and allegedly lying about them in music videos, following a 2022 raid on his home. Angeline Jane Bernabe, ABC News, 19 Mar. 2026 Mutch was likely made aware of Chandler’s mocking verses, as some of Chandler’s biographers suggest. Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026 The decision received some mocking on social media. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 8 Mar. 2026 Strip Law is a show that prefers to keep everything very close to the surface, including its case-of-the-week mocking of how surface-level Las Vegas is — even if roughly half those cases don’t have much to do with Vegas at all. Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 20 Feb. 2026 In his verse, Bad Bunny directly addresses the chats, calling attention to Rosselló’s mocking of the dead from Hurricane María and his rampant homophobia. Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 26 Jan. 2026 With a mocking appreciation for her overbearing family and caustic wit for her younger self, Yajia warmly works from the thesis that kids are extraordinarily weird, scary, and kind-of-dumb creatures who really don’t know any better. Brian Boone, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
Verb
Second lady Usha Vance mocking The New York Times for reading political significance into her Old Navy maternity dress and the New York Knicks celebrating their NBA title were featured in last week's News Quiz. Staff, FOXNews.com, 3 July 2026 This patriotic anthem of the American Revolution originated as a favorite tune of British soldiers, who enjoyed its lyrics mocking American colonists. René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 July 2026 In a blistering retort on Instagram, Paris’ deputy mayor Audrey Pulvar stepped into the arena on Grégoire’s behalf, blasting American commentators for mocking France’s climate woes while contributing the most to global emissions. Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 1 July 2026 Each sketch was packed with mocking details, such as long red ties, Big Macs and lots and lots of gold, to drive home her point. Jan Ellen Spiegel, Hartford Courant, 29 June 2026 In an exclusive statement to Entertainment Weekly, Jussie Smollett has responded to 50 Cent mocking his comeback performance. Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 29 June 2026 The entertainer gained notoriety on social media in the late 2010s for his sketches mocking everyday scenarios. Taylor Ardrey, USA Today, 27 June 2026 Within a couple of hours, Wilkins’ replies to the post were flooded with accusations of favoritism, questioning the use of taxpayer funds to book her and mocking her sincerity about being chosen as a performer following high-profile exits from the event. Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 24 June 2026 Soccer – football in much of the world – has a long and wonderful tradition of singing, whether that be in praise of their favorite players, mocking opponents (sometimes, brutally so) or simply urging their team forward. Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 23 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mocking
Adjective
  • And Milly’s being this sort of seething, disconnected, sardonic character who is more of an observer.
    Mike Ryan, IndieWire, 18 June 2026
  • John Pankow played Ira, Paul’s sardonic, womanizing cousin.
    Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 6 June 2026
Noun
  • Just kidding—We're loving this retro toy comeback!
    Parents, Parents, 23 June 2026
  • My heart beats faster just thinking about all of them, no kidding.
    Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 13 June 2026
Verb
  • Lasso, in his initial introduction to audiences, wasn’t the warm, pun-loving, inspirational coach audiences would eventually embrace through Apple +, but a slightly arrogant buffoon parodying the average American sports fan.
    Charles Moss, New York Times, 24 June 2026
  • It's been 13 years since the last Scary Movie hit theaters in 2013, and the newest installment reverts to its roots in parodying a variety of movies and television shows.
    Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026
Verb
  • For example, 'Blazing Saddles' and 'All in the Family' confronted bigotry by ridiculing prejudice.
    Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 1 July 2026
  • Speaking of which, when news broke Friday that much of the team’s equipment had been stolen, there was a nearly instantaneous social media ridiculing of the city.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 15 June 2026
Verb
  • Santana-Mateo was booked on charges of breach of peace, engaging police in a pursuit, disobeying the direction of officer, reckless driving, failure to obey a stop sign, failure to drive right, failure to obey a traffic control signal and driving the wrong way on a one way.
    Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 17 June 2026
  • Icarus disobeying his father Daedalus and flying too close to the sun.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 May 2026
Adjective
  • Bolstered by a $10 million advertising campaign, the works were destined to be shown in a series of one hundred and fifty exhibitions and events intended to counter Americans’ derisive views of Mexico.
    Jonathon Keats, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026
  • Educators were fired for making insensitive comments about him on their personal social-media accounts; a firefighter in Toledo lost his job for posting a derisive eulogy on Facebook; various airline employees were suspended for disparaging Kirk online.
    Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • No fooling, April brings some pretty interesting surprises on Netflix.
    K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Some of the most notable moments show Atlas imitating human emotional reactions.
    Jijo Malayil, Interesting Engineering, 24 June 2026
  • To celebrate, Gazza lay down on the grass and opened his mouth wide, imitating the dentist’s chair that had got him and his team-mates into so much bother a few weeks earlier.
    The Athletic UK Staff, New York Times, 18 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Mocking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mocking. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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