Mocking

How to spell mocking

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce mocking

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does mocking mean?

1. adjectiveExpressing scorn or ridicule; teasing in a contemptuous way.
2. verbPresent participle of mock: ridiculing or making fun of someone or something.

Mocking in a sentence

• adjective

  His mocking tone made the junior staff feel belittled in the meeting.

• verb

  They were mocking his terrible parking long after he left.

• adjective

  She gave a mocking smile when he claimed the report was finished.

• verb

  The crowd kept mocking the referee for the obvious mistake.

Where does mocking come from?

Language of origin: French

The base verb 'mock' came into English in the late 1400s from the Old French 'mocquer' (also spelled 'moquer'), which meant 'to deride, to jeer at, or to make fun of'. The further roots are uncertain, though some scholars connect it to an imitative sound suggesting a sneering or scoffing noise made with the mouth, which is why the precise origin is debated. By adding the suffix '-ing', English forms both the present participle and an adjective describing speech or behaviour that ridicules someone. Over time the word kept its core sense of contemptuous imitation, and the famous 'mockingbird' is so named because it imitates the songs of other birds. The spelling is straightforward, since the hard 'ck' simply protects the short vowel before the '-ing' ending.

How the word is built

• mock (to ridicule, from Old French mocquer)
• -ing (present participle / adjective suffix)