make fun of

verb

To tease, ridicule or make jokes about, generally in a pejorative manner.

“Please stop making fun of your sister and just help her!”

Similar
bust onderidemake sport ofpoke fun atbefoolchaffdisparageforgab
OriginMiddle English fon →
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Meanings

verbmake fun of (third-person singular simple present makes fun of, present participle making fun of, simple past and past participle made fun of)

present singular third person makes fun of · participle present making fun of · participle past made fun of · past made fun of

  1. idiomaticinformalTo tease, ridicule or make jokes about, generally in a pejorative manner.

    Please stop making fun of your sister and just help her!

    Synonyms: bust on, deride, make sport of, poke fun at, befool, chaff, disparage, forgab

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo tease, ridicule or make jokes about, generally in a pejorative manner.

Similar
bust onderidemake sport ofpoke fun atbefoolchaffdisparageforgabfrumpgleekjapejeerjibejoshkidlampoonmimicmockneedleniggle

More synonyms by meaning

verbsubject to laughter or ridicule

Similar
ridiculeroastguyblackguardlaugh atjest atribpoke fun
Broader
mockbemock
Also see
barrackblackguardgive someone the businessguyjapelaugh atmake game ofmockpoke funribridiculeroast

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Middle Englishfon
  2. Englishmake fun of

Recorded 1737. Preserves the older meaning of fun, from Middle English fon, fonne (“foolish, simple, silly”), fun (c. 1700) meaning "a cheat, trick, hoax", from a verb fun meaning "to cheat, trick" (1680s).

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek προσπαίζω, χλευάζω
  • προσπαίζω (prospaízō)tease, ridicule
  • χλευάζω (khleuázō)tease, ridicule
Arabic سَخِرَ, اِسْتَهْزَأَ
  • سَخِرَ (saḵira)tease, ridicule
  • اِسْتَهْزَأَ (istahzaʔa)tease, ridicule
Bulgarian присми́вам се, присме́я се
  • присми́вам се (prismívam se)tease, ridicule
  • присме́я се (prisméja se)tease, ridicule
  • осми́вам (osmívam)tease, ridicule
  • осме́я (osméja)tease, ridicule
Chinese Mandarin 嘲笑, 戲弄 /戏弄
  • 嘲笑 (cháoxiào)tease, ridicule
  • 戲弄 /戏弄 (xìnòng)tease, ridicule
  • 諷刺 /讽刺 (fěngcì)tease, ridicule
  • 拿……開玩笑 /拿……开玩笑 (ná ... kāi wánxiào)tease, ridicule
  • 開涮 /开涮 (kāishuàn)tease, ridicule
  • 冷嘲熱諷 /冷嘲热讽 (lěngcháorèfěng)tease, ridicule
Czech posmívat se, posmát se
  • posmívat setease, ridicule
  • posmát setease, ridicule
  • vysmívat setease, ridicule
  • vysmát setease, ridicule
Danish latterliggøre, gøre nar af
  • latterliggøretease, ridicule
  • gøre nar aftease, ridicule
Dutch uitlachen, bespotten
  • uitlachentease, ridicule
  • bespottentease, ridicule
  • belachelijk makentease, ridicule
Esperanto moki
  • mokitease, ridicule
Finnish pitää pilkkanaan, pilkata
  • pitää pilkkanaantease, ridicule
  • pilkatatease, ridicule
  • irvaillatease, ridicule
French se moquer de, se foutre de la gueule de
  • se moquer detease, ridicule
  • se foutre de la gueule detease, ridicule
  • ridiculisertease, ridicule
German sich lustig machen über, verspotten
  • sich lustig machen übertease, ridicule
  • verspottentease, ridicule
  • auslachentease, ridicule
Hungarian kigúnyol, gúnyol
  • kigúnyoltease, ridicule
  • gúnyoltease, ridicule
  • tréfát űztease, ridicule
Icelandic hlæja að
  • hlæja aðtease, ridicule
Irish bí ag magadh
  • bí ag magadhtease, ridicule
Italian burlare, sbeffeggiare
  • burlaretease, ridicule
  • sbeffeggiaretease, ridicule
Japanese からかう, バカにする
  • からかう (karakau)tease, ridicule
  • バカにする (baka ni suru)tease, ridicule
  • 冷やかす (hiyakasu)tease, ridicule
  • 嘲笑う (azawarau)tease, ridicule
  • 嘲笑する (chōshō suru)tease, ridicule
Korean 놀리다, 비웃다
  • 놀리다 (nollida)tease, ridicule
  • 비웃다 (biutda)tease, ridicule
Latin dērīdeō, cavillor
  • dērīdeōtease, ridicule
  • cavillortease, ridicule
Lithuanian šaipytis
  • šaipytistease, ridicule
Māori pāengaenga
  • pāengaengatease, ridicule
Norwegian Bokmål latterliggjøre
  • latterliggjøretease, ridicule
Polish wyśmiewać się, wyśmiać się
  • wyśmiewać siętease, ridicule
  • wyśmiać siętease, ridicule
  • wyśmiewaćtease, ridicule
  • wyśmiaćtease, ridicule
  • naśmiewać siętease, ridicule
  • nabijać siętease, ridicule
Portuguese tirar sarro de, zoar de
  • tirar sarro detease, ridicule
  • zoar detease, ridicule
  • caçoar detease, ridicule
  • gozar comtease, ridicule
  • fazer pouco detease, ridicule
Romanian batjocori, ași bate joc de
  • batjocoritease, ridicule
  • ași bate joc detease, ridicule
  • face mișto detease, ridicule
  • lua la miștotease, ridicule
Russian высме́ивать, вы́смеять
  • высме́ивать (vysméivatʹ)tease, ridicule
  • вы́смеять (výsmejatʹ)tease, ridicule
  • насмеха́ться (nasmexátʹsja)tease, ridicule
Slovak zosmiešňovať, zosmiešniť
  • zosmiešňovaťtease, ridicule
  • zosmiešniťtease, ridicule
  • posmievať satease, ridicule
  • vysmievať satease, ridicule
Spanish burlarse de, mofarse
  • burlarse detease, ridicule
  • mofarsetease, ridicule
  • pitorrearsetease, ridicule
  • recochinearsetease, ridicule
  • chotearsetease, ridicule
  • lorneartease, ridicule
Swedish göra narr av, håna
  • göra narr avtease, ridicule
  • hånatease, ridicule
  • förlöjligatease, ridicule
  • driva medtease, ridicule
  • göra sig lustig övertease, ridicule
Tamil கிண்டல் செய், கிண்டு
  • கிண்டல் செய் (kiṇṭal cey)tease, ridicule
  • கிண்டு (kiṇṭu)tease, ridicule
Thai ล้อ
  • ล้อ (lɔ́ɔ)tease, ridicule
Turkish alay etmek, dalga geçmek
  • alay etmektease, ridicule
  • dalga geçmektease, ridicule
Ukrainian висмі́ювати, ви́сміяти
  • висмі́ювати (vysmíjuvaty)tease, ridicule
  • ви́сміяти (výsmijaty)tease, ridicule
  • насміха́тися (nasmixátysja)tease, ridicule
Cite this entry
APA

make fun of. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20fun%20of

MLA

“make fun of.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20fun%20of. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “make fun of,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/make%20fun%20of.

Source: make fun of on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.