mock-up

UK/ˈmɒkˌʌp/US/ˈmɑkˌʌp/

noun

A scale or full-size model of a design or device which is not fully functional, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, promotion, or other purposes.

OriginFrench maquette →
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

nounmock-up (plural mock-ups)

plural mock-ups · alternative mockup

  1. A scale or full-size model of a design or device which is not fully functional, used for teaching, demonstration, design evaluation, promotion, or other purposes.

    The second-class accommodation shown in mock-up at last year's Railway Design exhibition in London was open saloon, but there is still nagging concern that the public has expressed a clear preference for compartments.

    1964 February, “British Railways' passenger plans”, in Modern Railways, page 73
    1 more example

    A full-size mock-up carriage of a Liverpool City Region Class 777, built as a part of the design process, has been transferred to the National College for Advanced Transportation & Infrastructure (NCATI) in Doncaster, to be used as a teaching aid.

    2022 January 12, “News in pictures: Liverpool carriage goes to college”, in Rail, number 948, page 20
  2. A prototype, usually low-fidelity, such as a paper illustration, screenshot, or simple screen configuration with limited interaction.

    I knew that the software was a mock up and as such it would require the team at least half an hour to put together the components before I could proceed.

    2018, Dr Low Lee Yong, I Dare to Dream Making Possible the Impossible
    1 more example

    This 5mm square grid notebook is great to use for diagrams, mock-ups, designs, everyday use, notes, calculations, lists, doodling, musings or other creativity projects.

    2019, Squared Grid Notebook: Square Grid Notebook/Journal, Elite Blank Books

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
toile

Origin

  1. Frenchmaquette
  2. Englishmock-up

First use appears c. 1915–1920, deverbal from mock up (verb), by imitation of French maquette.

More words from French

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Bulgarian маке́т, моде́л
  • маке́т (makét)scale or full-size model
  • моде́л (modél)scale or full-size model
Catalan maqueta, prototip
  • maquetascale or full-size model
  • prototipscale or full-size model
Chinese Mandarin 樣機 /样机, 模型
  • 樣機 /样机 (yàngjī)scale or full-size model
  • 模型 (móxíng)scale or full-size model
Czech model, maketa
  • modelscale or full-size model
  • maketascale or full-size model
Finnish malli, mallikappale
  • malliscale or full-size model
  • mallikappalescale or full-size model
  • makettiscale or full-size model
French maquette, modèle
  • maquettescale or full-size model
  • modèlescale or full-size model
German Modell, Mockup
  • Modellscale or full-size model
  • Mockupscale or full-size model
  • Nachbildungscale or full-size model
  • Vorführmodellscale or full-size model
Greek μακέτα
  • μακέτα (makéta)scale or full-size model
Hungarian modell, mintadarab
  • modellscale or full-size model
  • mintadarabscale or full-size model
  • makettscale or full-size model
Indonesian maket, tiruan
  • maketscale or full-size model
  • tiruanscale or full-size model
Irish samhail, samhailghaireas
  • samhailscale or full-size model
  • samhailghaireasscale or full-size model
  • balbhshamhailscale or full-size model
Italian modello, simulacro
  • modelloscale or full-size model
  • simulacroscale or full-size model
Japanese 木型, モックアップ
  • 木型 (kigata)scale or full-size model
  • モックアップ (mokkuappu)scale or full-size model
  • 模型 (mokei)scale or full-size model
Korean 목업, 모형
  • 목업 (mogeop)scale or full-size model
  • 모형 (mohyeong)scale or full-size model
Polish makieta
  • makietascale or full-size model
Portuguese modelo, maquete
  • modeloscale or full-size model
  • maquetescale or full-size model
Romanian machetă, model
  • machetăscale or full-size model
  • modelscale or full-size model
Russian маке́т, моде́ль
  • маке́т (makét)scale or full-size model
  • моде́ль (modɛ́lʹ)scale or full-size model
  • бутафо́рия (butafórija)scale or full-size model
Spanish maqueta, prototipo
  • maquetascale or full-size model
  • prototiposcale or full-size model
Swedish attrapp
  • attrappscale or full-size model
Turkish model, numune
  • modelscale or full-size model
  • numunescale or full-size model
  • örnekscale or full-size model
Ukrainian маке́т, моде́ль
  • маке́т (makét)scale or full-size model
  • моде́ль (modélʹ)scale or full-size model
Cite this entry
APA

mock-up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mock-up

MLA

“mock-up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mock-up. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “mock-up,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/mock-up.

Source: mock-up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.