Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

make fun of

Word Rarity Common

Frequency: Zipf frequency 5.23 in modern English

Syllables
make -fun of
IPA
21
Scrabble Score
9
Letters
2
Syllables
8
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

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

Informal

Example Sentences

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).

Origin

Word Breakdown

Usage

Inflected Forms

makes fun of (present, singular) making fun of (participle, present) made fun of (participle, past) made fun of (past)

Phrases

make light of

Frequently Paired Words

make light of

Synonyms

bust on deride make sport of poke fun at befool chaff disparage forgab frump gleek jape jeer

Questions

What does make fun of mean?
To tease, ridicule or make jokes about, generally in a pejorative manner.
Where does make fun of come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce make fun of

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “make fun of”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “make fun of”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “make fun of” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.