making fun of others

Meaning

1. 1phrasefixed phrasedisapproving

   The act of laughing at someone or saying unkind things about them in a joking way.

   Grammar: Often used as a subject or after prepositions like 'for' or 'of': 'Making fun of others is not nice.'

   Patterns

   • making fun of someone
   • making fun of something

   Making fun of others can really hurt their feelings, even if you mean it as a joke.

   The teacher told the class that making fun of others would not be tolerated.

   He was making fun of others to impress his friends, but it only made him look mean.

Common combinations

making fun of someone's appearance

Making fun of someone's appearance is a form of bullying.

stop making fun of

Please stop making fun of your brother; it's not funny.

making fun of others behind their back

Making fun of others behind their back is cowardly.

Synonyms and how they differ

teasing

Teasing can be friendly and playful, while making fun of others often implies unkindness.

mocking

Mocking is more formal and often involves copying someone in a way that is meant to be unkind.

ridiculing

Ridiculing is stronger and more formal; it means making someone seem foolish.

Opposites

Word family

fun noun

Enjoyment or amusement.

make fun of phrasal verb

To laugh at or make jokes about someone in an unkind way.

Commonly confused: making fun of others or making fun for?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “making fun of others”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words