skewer
Say it: SKYOO-uh /ˈskjuːə/ · verb
What “skewer” means
To expose someone's faults with sharp criticism or mockery.
More precisely: To criticise or mock someone sharply and effectively.
Example: “The late-night host skewered the minister's excuses in a four-minute monologue.”
When to use it
Use it for pointed criticism or satire that reveals someone's flaws, especially in reviews, journalism or comedy.
Memory trick
Imagine a sharp remark piercing a weak excuse like a skewer.
It can also mean
It also means pushing a pointed stick through food to hold it together.
Similar words
lampoon, ridicule, pillory
Quick check
A satirist uses precise jokes to expose every contradiction in a mayor's excuses. What does she do to those excuses?
skewer or endorse?
Show the answer
skewer
Learn 5 new words a day in Kinquire. Each with a picture, how to say it, an example and a quick check, then spaced review so you actually keep them. Free to start.
Learn “skewer”