verb

lampoon

lam-POON

Lampoon (verb) means to attack a person or institution in public by making them ridiculous — in a cartoon, article, song or sketch that exaggerates their faults for comic effect. Example: “The magazine has lampooned every prime minister since 1961.”

verb

To attack a person or institution in public by making them ridiculous — in a cartoon, article, song or sketch that exaggerates their faults for comic effect.

"The magazine has lampooned every prime minister since 1961."

"He was lampooned nightly on television for the way he pronounced his own surname."

noun

A piece of writing or drawing that ridicules somebody in this way.

"The pamphlet was a savage lampoon of the bishop and his household."

"A student lampoon of the vice-chancellor made the local paper."

How to use lampoon

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishTo make fun of someone in public to make them look ridiculous.

When to use it

Slightly literary or journalistic. Lampooning implies a public target with power or status — you lampoon a politician, not a neighbour.

Memory tip

The stress falls on the second syllable, and the word is almost always used of a public figure rather than a private one.

Trace the full origin ↓

Easily confused with

harpoon → lambast satire →

Common pairings

mercilessly lampooned lampoon the government a savage lampoon lampooned in the press

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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

The magazine has _____ every prime minister since 1961.

Etymology

From French lampon, a name for a scurrilous satirical song, which entered English in the seventeenth century. The further origin of the French word is disputed.

Origin: French

Synonyms

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satirise mock ridicule send up pillory caricature satire spoof send-up skit squib

Antonyms

praise flatter eulogise

Related words

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Rhymes for lampoon

noon moon soon hoon toon poon foon goon loon boon woon doon

See all rhymes for lampoon →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between lampoon and satire?

Satire is the broad mode of using humour to expose folly, and it can attack ideas, systems or whole societies. A lampoon is narrower and more personal: it aims at a named individual or institution and tries to make that specific target look absurd.

What is the difference between lampoon and parody?

A parody imitates the form of a work or style — the rhythm of a song, the layout of a newspaper — for comic effect. A lampoon attacks the character or conduct of a person, and need not imitate anything at all.

Is lampooning someone illegal?

In most countries comic exaggeration of a public figure is protected as opinion or satire, precisely because no reasonable reader takes it as a statement of fact. It becomes actionable only if it presents invented, damaging claims as true.

What is the meaning of lampoon?

"lampoon" (verb) means to attack a person or institution in public by making them ridiculous — in a cartoon, article, song or sketch that exaggerates their faults for comic effect.

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