make fun of

English

Etymology

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).

Pronunciation

Audio (AU) (file)

Verb

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

(idiomatic, informal) To tease, ridicule or make jokes about, generally in a pejorative manner.
Please stop making fun of your sister and just help her!

Synonyms

(to ridicule): make sport of, poke fun at, mock, deride
See also Thesaurus:ridicule

Translations

tease, ridicule

Arabic: سَخِرَ‎ (saḵira), اِسْتَهْزَأَ‎ (istahzaʾa)
Aromanian: shupãr
Belarusian: высме́йваць impf (vysmjéjvacʹ), вы́смеяць pf (výsmjejacʹ), выкпіва́ць impf (vykpivácʹ), вы́кпіць pf (výkpicʹ), высмяха́цца impf (vysmjaxácca), кпіць impf (kpicʹ)
Bulgarian: присми́вам се impf (prismívam se), присме́я се pf (prisméja se), осми́вам (bg) impf (osmívam), осме́я pf (osméja)
Cherokee: ᎠᏙᏥᏗᎭ (adotsidiha)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 嘲笑 (zh) (cháoxiào), 戲弄／戏弄 (zh) (xìnòng), (formal) 諷刺／讽刺 (zh) (fěngcì), (colloquial) 拿……開玩笑／拿……开玩笑 (zh) (ná ... kāi wánxiào), (colloquial, Northern Mandarin) 開涮／开涮 (kāishuàn)
Czech: posmívat se impf, posmát se pf, vysmívat se impf, vysmát se pf
Danish: latterliggøre, gøre nar af
Dutch: uitlachen (nl), bespotten (nl), voor de gek houden
Esperanto: moki
Finnish: pitää pilkkanaan (fi), pilkata (fi), irvailla
French: se moquer de (fr), se foutre de la gueule de (fr), ridiculiser (fr)
Galician: burlarse
German: sich lustig machen über, verspotten (de), auslachen (de)
Greek:
Ancient: προσπαίζω (prospaízō), χλευάζω (khleuázō)
Hungarian: kigúnyol (hu), gúnyol (hu), tréfát űz
Irish: bí ag magadh
Italian: burlare (it), sbeffeggiare (it)
Japanese: からかう (ja) (karakau), バカにする (baka ni suru), 冷やかす (ひやかす, hiyakasu), 嘲笑う (ja) (あざわらう, azawarau), 嘲笑する (ja) (ちょうしょうする, chōshō suru)
Korean: 놀리다 (ko) (nollida), 비웃다 (ko) (biutda)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: گالتەپێکردن‎ (galtepêkirdin), رابواردن‎ (rabwardin)
Latin: dērīdeō, cavillor
Lithuanian: šaipytis
Lushootseed: ʔukʷukʷbid, ʔukʷukʷbitəb
Macedonian: исмејува impf (ismejuva)
Maori: pāengaenga
Ngazidja Comorian: utseshea, urema seho
Norman: motchi
Norwegian:
Bokmål: latterliggjøre
Old English: bismerian, tō gamene dōn
Polish: wyśmiewać się (pl) impf, wyśmiać się (pl) pf, wyśmiewać (pl) impf, wyśmiać (pl) pf
Portuguese: tirar sarro de, zoar de (Brazil), caçoar de
Romanian: batjocori (ro), ași bate joc de, face mișto de (colloquial), lua la mișto (colloquial)
Russian: высме́ивать (ru) impf (vysméivatʹ), вы́смеять (ru) pf (výsmejatʹ), насмеха́ться (ru) impf (nasmexátʹsja)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: исмеја́вати impf, исмѐјати pf, исмија́вати impf, исмѝјати pf
Roman: ismejávati impf, ismèjati pf, ismijávati (sh) impf, ismìjati (sh) pf
Slovak: zosmiešňovať impf, zosmiešniť pf, posmievať sa impf, vysmievať sa impf
Slovene: posmehovati se impf
Spanish: burlarse (es), mofarse (es), pitorrearse (es), recochinearse (es), chotearse (es) (Spain, colloquial)
Swedish: göra narr av (sv), håna (sv), förlöjliga (sv), driva med
Telugu: ఆట పట్టించు (te) (āṭa paṭṭiñcu)
Thai: ล้อ (th) (lɔ́ɔ)
Turkish: alay etmek (tr), dalga geçmek (tr)
Ukrainian: висмі́ювати impf (vysmíjuvaty), ви́сміяти pf (výsmijaty), насміха́тися (uk) impf (nasmixátysja)