as in mocking
to copy or exaggerate (someone or something) in order to make fun of
parodying a public figure's distinctive mannerisms takes particular talent
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of parodying
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
Regardless, everyone approves of Kiana, with Zack good-naturedly parodying her sunglasses and the girls encouraging him to lock it down despite the tumultuous relationships their friend group seems to attract.
—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
Influencer comedians like Madison Humphrey and Mitsy Sanderson have built large platforms parodying awkward moments.
—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Heidecker — the mind behind projects including The Tim and Eric Show and On Cinema — has been parodying Jones for years.
—
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2026
The cliffhanger of the previous season, which saw Lister impregnated by his female self from an alternate universe, is dismissed with a pre-episode text crawl parodying Star Wars, which irreverently moved way too fast to read.
—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
14 Mar. 2026
In response, track athlete Alysia Montaño crafted a video in conjunction with the New York Times, parodying Nike’s sponsor’s ad.
—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
These are the exact type of tried-and-true New Yorkers and New York hip-hop heads the Bodega Boys blew up by parodying with their frequently unhinged back-and-forth.
—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
6 Feb. 2026
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
Regardless, everyone approves of Kiana, with Zack good-naturedly parodying her sunglasses and the girls encouraging him to lock it down despite the tumultuous relationships their friend group seems to attract.
—
Ile-Ife Okantah,
Vulture,
7 May 2026
Influencer comedians like Madison Humphrey and Mitsy Sanderson have built large platforms parodying awkward moments.
—
Rachel Hale,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Heidecker — the mind behind projects including The Tim and Eric Show and On Cinema — has been parodying Jones for years.
—
Rolling Stone,
22 Apr. 2026
The cliffhanger of the previous season, which saw Lister impregnated by his female self from an alternate universe, is dismissed with a pre-episode text crawl parodying Star Wars, which irreverently moved way too fast to read.
—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
14 Mar. 2026
In response, track athlete Alysia Montaño crafted a video in conjunction with the New York Times, parodying Nike’s sponsor’s ad.
—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
7 Feb. 2026
These are the exact type of tried-and-true New Yorkers and New York hip-hop heads the Bodega Boys blew up by parodying with their frequently unhinged back-and-forth.
—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for parodying
Verb
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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.
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This patriotic anthem of the American Revolution originated as a favorite tune of British soldiers, who enjoyed its lyrics mocking American colonists.
Verb
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Some of the most notable moments show Atlas imitating human emotional reactions.
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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.
Verb
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The young man was doing LeBron James’ silencer celebration after scoring a goal one moment and being tagged with soccer’s equivalent of a Flagrant 2 the next — because of how one moment was assessed on tape delay.
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The city’s police department will be doing safety checks in the area as well.
Verb
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Things grow even more surreal when Jeffrey Epstein’s face appears in the sun, spoofing the Teletubbies, and Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, and Steve Bannon take the place of Dipsy, Laa-Laa, Po, and Tinky-Winky.
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In spoofing cases, scammers often adopt the number of someone’s family member.
Verb
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When this happens, the oven continues to generate microwaves that rapidly change frequency as the power dies off over a fraction of a second, mimicking dispersion.
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Players take on the role of a Ditto capable of mimicking its human trainer, and the Pokémon is thrown into a world devoid of humans.
Cite this Entry
“Parodying.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/parodying. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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