Mockery & Ridicule: English Vocabulary List

to do something that makes a person appear foolish in front of others

"He made a monkey out of me."

"She tried to make a monkey out of her colleague by spreading false rumors about him during the important meeting."

to make fun of a person or thing in order to make them look silly

"They poked fun at his accent."

"The children poked fun at the new student's accent until the teacher told them to stop being so cruel."

to tease a person by copying what they do, trick them into believing something, etc., often in a way that is not friendly

"They took the mick out of him."

"My classmates always take the mickey out of me because I mispronounce certain words in English class."

a person or thing so silly or ridiculous that everyone makes fun of

"His mistake made him a laughing stock."

"His mistake made him a laughing stock and the entire office made jokes about him for weeks."

(particularly of a joke) in a way that causes harm to someone or makes them embarrassed

"He made a joke at my expense."

"The comedian told jokes about the audience members at their expense which made everyone very uncomfortable."

to offer a humorous or witty comment, often with the aim of ridiculing disrespecting someone or something

"He made a crack about my shoes."

"He made a crack about her weight and she burst into tears and left the room immediately."

to persistently and relentlessly bother, tease, or annoy someone, often in a playful or mocking manner

"He breaks my stones."

"Working in that stressful job for twenty years would break anyone's stones eventually."

(particularly of a joke) in a way that causes harm to someone or makes them embarrassed

"It was at her expense."

"His cruel joke, told at his friend's expense, made everyone in the room uncomfortable."

to persistently and relentlessly bother, tease, or annoy someone, often in a playful or mocking manner

"Stop break my stones."

"He continued to break my stones about my terrible singing voice, even after I asked him to stop."