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Synonyms

send-up

American  
[send-uhp] / ˈsɛndˌʌp /
Or sendup

noun

  1. an entertaining or humorous burlesque or parody; takeoff.

    The best skit in the revue was a send-up of TV game shows.
send up British  

verb

  1. slang to send to prison

  2. informal to make fun of, esp by doing an imitation or parody of

    he sent up the teacher marvellously
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. informal a parody or imitation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
send up Idioms  

  1. Put in prison, as in He'll be sent up for at least ten years . [Mid-1800s]

  2. Cause to rise, as in The emissions sent up by that factory are clearly poisonous . [Late 1500s]

  3. Satirize, make a parody of, as in This playwright has a genius for sending up suburban life . [First half of 1900s]

  4. send up a trial balloon . See trial balloon .

Etymology

Origin of send-up

First recorded in 1955–60; noun use of verb phrase send up, in sense “to parody”; compare earlier Brit. academic usage “to mock, scoff at”

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In the clip, a send-up of Barkley’s heartfelt comments on immigrants during a post-game show, Kenan Thompson as Barkley offered his thoughts on betting platforms, Artemis II and former Attorney General Pam Bondi.

From Salon • Apr. 5, 2026

Ashton Kutcher’s performance as the soulless mogul Byron Forst is an obvious send-up of Elon Musk.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 21, 2026

A perfectly executed send-up of the loud, hyper, over-the-top TV ads that have driven generations of kiddos to beg their parents to purchase hunks of plastic shaped like muscular heroes and ferocious monsters.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2025

It works best as a comedy, a clever send-up of electoral politics.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 13, 2024

A horse hitched to the end of the chain hauls up the log, which is guided by the "send-up men" with their cant-hooks.

From Handwork in Wood by Noyes, William

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.