as in to tease
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
the principal reminded the student athletes that taunting their opponents was not showing good sportsmanship
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in jeer
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of taunt
Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Rory McIlroy's taunt of JJ Spaun during the Masters' Par 3 playoff contest leaves Shane Lowry in Disbelief.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Sep. 2025
The jury saw extensive emails between Donna and Wendi that showed how Donna pushed Wendi to pursue relocation to South Florida at any cost, including offering her ex-husband $1 million and taunting him with the possibility of converting their kids from Judaism to Catholicism.
—Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taunt
Verb
There was the infamous taunt, pointing to her ring finger during the NCAA championship game against Iowa, moments after Reebok signed her in an initial NIL deal.
—Tiana Randall, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Rory McIlroy's taunt of JJ Spaun during the Masters' Par 3 playoff contest leaves Shane Lowry in Disbelief.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 July 2025
Noun
Garraty is forced to slap himself across the face to stay awake as Barkovitch taunts him.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Sep. 2025
The jury saw extensive emails between Donna and Wendi that showed how Donna pushed Wendi to pursue relocation to South Florida at any cost, including offering her ex-husband $1 million and taunting him with the possibility of converting their kids from Judaism to Catholicism.
—Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taunt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taunt
Verb
-
As of Tuesday night, South Park’s X account still hasn’t teased any hints of what Episode 5 will be about, something the show has done consistently before the previous three episodes.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Cardi teased on Today about the follow-up to her smash 2018 debut LP, Invasion of Privacy.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The message came after his 2015 appearance garnered jeers from the crowd.—
Elvia Limon - 09,
The Hill,
7 Sep. 2025
-
D’Annunzio jeers at her delusional belief that Il Duce will fund her dream project of a theater not for the wealthy cultural and intellectual elite, but for the Great War’s widows, orphans and veterans.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Many on the right have reacted strongly to those perceived to be celebrating or mocking Kirk's death, calling for consequences such as losing their jobs or in Omar's case, being censured.—
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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Comedy Central responded to Kirk’s killing by pulling the episode mocking him from its regular rotation.—
Dominick Mastrangelo,
The Hill,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Jacob sneers, but doesn’t even wait for his son to answer.—
Kimberly Roots,
TVLine,
15 Aug. 2025
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The single, meanwhile, is ushered in with a gripping bass line and an undercurrent of keyboards until Osbourne makes his grand vocal entrance, all sneers and snarls.—
Melissa Ruggieri,
USA Today,
23 July 2025
Noun
-
Young Thug wasn’t the only target, however, as his girlfriend, Mariah The Scientist, also caught a few shots for entertaining Thugger’s insults over the phone.—
Jessica Bennett,
VIBE.com,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Bluesky, part of the decentralized internet, is slower paced and caters to niche interests, rewarding internecine fights over minutiae, whereas X is deliberately chaotic, encouraging the gathering of follower-armies and ideological insult-comedy for an audience that may be largely made up of bots.—
Kyle Chayka,
New Yorker,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The foolishness of the governor’s gibe was underscored by the progressive, staunchly anti-Trump Democratic mayor of San Jose.—
U T Editorial Board,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Sep. 2025
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The contrary argument is that stronger presidential oversight gibes with American constitutional principles and would ensure greater political accountability to the voters for all of an administration’s initiatives.—
Alden Abbott,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Alliances shift, quips fly like the ever-present bullets, and if there is a pause, it’s done for comedic effect.—
Katie Rife,
IndieWire,
9 Sep. 2025
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Perhaps on any other show at this time in America, that quip from a school teachers meeting would be the takeaway.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Today's House Oversight Committee markup will hurt public safety and is a direct affront to the District's autonomy.—
Heather Hunter,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Sep. 2025
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But the blowback from the raid appears to go deeper than business deals, with some seeing it as an affront to a bilaterial friendship forged over more than seven decades since the end of the Korean War in 1953.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taunt. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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