Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To eat (food) quickly and greedily.
  • intransitive verb To eat greedily.
  • intransitive verb To show or express derision or scorn.
  • intransitive verb To say in a derisive manner.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Food; “grub.”
  • noun An expression of contempt, derision, or mocking scorn; a taunt; a gibe; a flout.
  • noun An object of scoffing or scorn; a mark for derision; a butt.
  • To speak jeeringly or derisively; manifest mockery, derision, or ridicule; utter contemptuous or taunting language; mock; deride: generally with at before the object.
  • Synonyms Gibe, Jeer, etc. See sneer.
  • To treat with derision or scorn; mock at; ridicule; deride.
  • To eat hastily; devour.
  • To steal; carry off.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • intransitive verb To show insolent ridicule or mockery; to manifest contempt by derisive acts or language; -- often with at.
  • noun Derision; ridicule; mockery; derisive or mocking expression of scorn, contempt, or reproach.
  • noun An object of scorn, mockery, or derision.
  • transitive verb To treat or address with derision; to assail scornfully; to mock at.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun South Africa Food.
  • verb UK To eat food quickly.
  • verb South Africa To eat.
  • noun Derision; ridicule; a derisive or mocking expression of scorn, contempt, or reproach.
  • noun An object of scorn, mockery, or derision.
  • verb To jeer; laugh at with contempt and derision.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb treat with contemptuous disregard
  • verb laugh at with contempt and derision
  • noun showing your contempt by derision

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Alteration of obsolete scaff.]

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English scoffen, from scof, mockery, probably of Scandinavian origin; akin to Danish skof, jest, teasing.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Afrikaans.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English scof/skof, of Scandinavian origin. Compare Old Norse skaup, Danish skuffelse(noun)/skuffe(verb) and Old High German scoph.

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