What does "spoof" mean?
An act of deception; a hoax; a joking prank.
Spoof
/spuːf/ adj, noun, verb, slang
adj, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An act of deception; a hoax; a joking prank.
- Grammar: spoof is listed as adj, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: parody, sendup, bamboozle, befool.
- Useful contrasts: accurate portrayal, authentic depiction, authentic version.
- Usage evidence: You shouldn't believe it, it's just a spoof.
How to use "spoof"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "spoof" 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 "spoof" 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 "spoof" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "spoof" 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 "spoof" is acting as adj, noun, verb, slang 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 "parody" 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 "spoof", 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 act of deception; a hoax; a joking prank. countable
"“Rahther, I say. But you understand, of course, that I’m giving him a bit of spoof.” / “A bit of what?” / “Spoof—spoof. Is it possible that you have been here since Saturday without learning what ‘spoof’ means? It means to chaff, to joke. In the States the slang equivalent would be ‘to string’ someone.” / “How did you learn it?” / “A cabby told me about it. I started to have some fun with him, and he told me to ‘give over on the spoof.’[…]”"
- 2 Semen. Australia, New-Zealand, slang, uncountable
"‘Holy-Jesus-fuckin’-Christ! I’m comin’! I’m shootin’ me bolt! I’m gonna fill ya twat with spoof!’"
- 3 a composition that imitates or misrepresents somebody's style, usually in a humorous way wordnet
- 4 An act of deception; a hoax; a joking prank.; A cyberattack involving deception via impersonated identities; a digital asset used in such an attack. countable, uncountable
"Don't click anything on that website! That whole site is a spoof! Call IT right now."
- 5 A light parody. countable
"On Broadway, where it opened in 1949, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was a spoof of the madcap Twenties which gave Carol Channing her first starring role; on the screen, it was an up-to-date spoof of sex which gave Marilyn Monroe her first starring role in a musical."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 A drinking game in which players hold up to three (or another specified number of) coins hidden in a fist and attempt to guess the total number of coins held. British, countable, historical
"The British journalist and author Richard Boston supplies an illustrative example of a drinking game once commonly played in British public houses but which has since faded from use: The game Spoof involves three or more players concealing between zero and three coins or similar small objects in a clenched fist that they hold in front of their body or place on the bar counter or table. Players are then prompted to correctly guess the total number of coins held by all players. As the game progresses, correct guesses allow players to drop out until the final round, in which the "loser," determined by making an incorrect guess, is punished by being required to buy the next round of drinks."
- 7 Nonsense. uncountable
"I think you used the expression that you came out because people at home were not aware whether it was "spoof" or whether it really could be carried into effect?—A large number of people at home thought it was "spoof.""
Verb
- 1 To gently satirize. transitive
"Her [Jean Harlow's] best film is generally considered to be Bombshell (1933), in which she spoofed her own career as a Hollywood sex goddess."
- 2 To ejaculate, to come. Australia, New-Zealand, slang
"[T]he release of semen from the penis predominantly symbolizes a forceful masculine operation, an orgasmic ‘rush’ – ejaculate refers to a sudden happening, an ejection – while the ‘loss’ of blood during menstruation is viewed as a more or less passive occurrence. Even the metaphors employed to depict these two aspects of corporeality serve to situate them on differently gendered poles. Man ‘spoofs off’ or ‘shoots his load’, while woman ‘gets her visitor’, ‘has got her monthly’."
- 3 make a parody of wordnet
- 4 To deceive. transitive
"Bandy is a few miles from Duffersville—how many I won't say, because when, on local information, I told Ebsworth three and he walked it, he declared he had been deliberately spoofed, and went about vowing reprisals."
- 5 To falsify; especially, to falsify identities by impersonating for scamming purposes. ambitransitive
"The fraudsters convincingly spoofed a Microsoft webpage and then invited their victims to click various links found there."
Adjective
- 1 Fake, hoax. not-comparable
"His most recent art project, 'Consuming Desire', explored men's relationship with pornography, using invisible art strategies (a spoof sex shop and a spoof porn CD-ROM), media interventions (TV/radio and press exposure), and therapeutic work with men addicted to pornography."
Antonyms
Example
"You shouldn't believe it, it's just a spoof."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "spoof"?
Common synonyms include: parody, sendup, bamboozle, befool, burlesque, burlesque.
How do you use "spoof" in a sentence?
You shouldn't believe it, it's just a spoof.
How do you pronounce "spoof"?
Pronounced /spuːf/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Coined by the English comedian Arthur Roberts (1852–1933) in 1884 as the name of a card game involving deception and nonsense.
Etymology 2
Origin unknown; perhaps imitative of the spurting of a viscous liquid. Compare splooge, spoo (US slang), spooge, spaff.