spoof

[ spoof ]
See synonyms for: spoofspoofedspoofing on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. a mocking imitation of someone or something, usually light and good-humored; lampoon or parody: The show was a spoof of college life.

  2. a hoax; prank.

verb (used with object)
  1. to mock (something or someone) lightly and good-humoredly; kid.

  2. to fool by a hoax; play a trick on, especially one intended to deceive.

  1. to trick (electronic devices, as radar), by interrupting or otherwise corrupting data in order to avoid detection.

  2. Digital Technology. to misrepresent (the identity of a party or the origin of data) in a communication, in order to misdirect digital authentication or other security measures: Hackers spoofed the IP to fool the network into providing access.Suspects spoofed caller ID when they phoned in the anonymous threats.The sender’s email address was spoofed to fool the company’s spam filters.: Compare phish.

verb (used without object)
  1. to scoff at something lightly and good-humoredly; kid: The campus paper was always spoofing about the regulations.

Origin of spoof

1
First recorded in 1885–90; after a game invented and named by Arthur Roberts (1852–1933), British comedian

Words Nearby spoof

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use spoof in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for spoof

spoof

/ (spuːf) informal /


noun
  1. a mildly satirical mockery or parody; lampoon: a spoof on party politics

  2. a good-humoured deception or trick; prank

verb
  1. to indulge in a spoof of (a person or thing)

  2. to communicate electronically under a false identity

Origin of spoof

1
C19: coined by A. Roberts (1852–1933), English comedian, to designate a game of his own invention

Derived forms of spoof

  • spoofer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012