What does "mock" mean?
An imitation, usually of lesser quality.
Mock
/mɔk/ adj, name, noun, verb
adj, name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An imitation, usually of lesser quality.
- Grammar: mock is listed as adj, name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abuse, adopt, affect, affected.
- Useful contrasts: actual, actual test, admire.
- Usage evidence: The future pilot is trained in a mock cockpit.
How to use "mock"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "mock" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "mock" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "mock" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "mock" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "mock" is acting as adj, name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abuse" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "mock", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An imitation, usually of lesser quality.
"Is tortured thirst itself too sweet a cup? Gall, and more bitter mocks, shall make it up."
- 2 the act of mocking or ridiculing wordnet
- 3 Mockery; the act of mocking.
"Fooles make a mocke at ſinne: but among the righteous there is fauour."
- 4 Ellipsis of mock examination. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
"He got a B in his History mock, but improved to an A in the exam."
- 5 A mockup or prototype; particularly, ellipsis of mock object, as used in unit testing.
"You can, if you must, create a mock that derives from a concrete class. The problem is that the resulting class represents a mix of production and mocked behavior, a beast referred to as a partial mock."
Verb
- 1 To mimic, to simulate.
"To see the life as lively mocked as ever / Still sleep mocked death."
- 2 treat with contempt wordnet
- 3 To create an artistic representation of. rare
"[I]ts sculptor well those passions read / Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, / The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed: […]"
- 4 imitate with mockery and derision wordnet
- 5 To make fun of, especially by mimicking; to taunt.
"And it came to paſſe at noone, that Eliiah mocked them, and ſaide, Crie aloud: for he is a god, either he is talking, or he is purſuing, or hee is in a iourney, or peraduenture he ſleepeth, and muſt be awaked."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 To tantalise, and disappoint the hopes of.
"The wind is mocking my efforts to light a fire!"
- 7 To create a mockup or prototype of. transitive
"They can also mock other integration points such as backend, database, or any other external resource."
Adjective
- 1 Imitation, not genuine; fake. not-comparable
"mock leather"
Adjective
- 1 constituting a copy or imitation of something wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
Example
"The future pilot is trained in a mock cockpit."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "mock"?
Common synonyms include: abuse, adopt, affect, affected, affront, alike.
How do you use "mock" in a sentence?
The future pilot is trained in a mock cockpit.
How do you pronounce "mock"?
Pronounced /mɔk/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English mokken, from Old French mocquer, moquier (“to deride, jeer”), from Middle Dutch mocken (“to mumble”) or Middle Low German mucken (“to grumble, talk with the mouth half-opened”), both from Proto-West Germanic *mokkijan, *mukkijan (“to low, bellow; mumble”), from Proto-Germanic *mukkijaną, *mūhaną (“to low, bellow, shout”), from Proto-Indo-European *mūg-, *mūk- (“to low, mumble”). Cognate with Dutch mokken (“to sulk; pout; mope; grumble”), Old High German firmucken (“to be stupid”), Modern German mucksen (“to utter a word; mumble; grumble”), West Frisian mokke (“to mope; sulk; grumble”), Swedish mucka (“to murmur”), dialectal Dutch mokkel (“kiss”).
Etymology 2
* As an English surname, related to Old English muga (“stack of hay”), or alternatively from the verb mock. * As a German surname, spelling variant of Maag. Also from a derivative of the source of "heap" above; compare German Low German Muck. * As a Dutch surname, from Middle Dutch mocke (“wanton woman, slut”) and perhaps West Flemish mokke (“fat child”), also related to the sense of heap above.