insults 1 of 2

plural of insult

insults

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of insult

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of insults
Noun
The Fantasy Football Draft is that magical stretch of hours where friends, enemies and division nemesis all cram into one room to sling insults with the confidence of seasoned analysts. Bill Reinhard, New York Daily News, 16 Aug. 2026 That standard still holds for his frequent barrages of boasts, insults, threats, grouses and indecipherable dispatches via Truth Social. Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 13 Aug. 2026 Ryan released the child, after which he was handcuffed and is accused of hurling insults at the responding police officer, according to the police report. Ingrid Vasquez, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026 There’s blood and insults and exasperation and pain and horror. Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026 One is cool, calm, collected, and joyful, while the other spews profanities and insults. Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 Aug. 2026 Developer Senko Rasic argued in post that went viral - that dismissing coding as never having been the hard part insults programmers. Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026 Disparaging remarks are defined as using personal insults, ad hominem attacks or attacks on a person’s character, or speculating on a person’s motivations. Danielle Battaglia, Charlotte Observer, 7 Aug. 2026 However, sources indicate the issue was mainly verbal, with insults tossed back and forth. Dominic Patten, Deadline, 5 Aug. 2026
Verb
That's what happens when your star insults moviegoers or goes off on tangents about the characters's sexuality. Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026 Ohm quickly insults nearly every employee at this small hotel within moments of meeting them, except for the young, pretty bartender, Fiona (Florence Ordesh). ABC News, 29 Apr. 2026 Saariaho never once loses control of momentum and never insults her own tastefulness. Justin Davidson, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026 As the President insults allies, woos dictators, and spurns long-standing commitments, Rubio has to convince his counterparts that America will not entirely abandon its friends. Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 12 Jan. 2026 The paddling comes as revenge for multiple times Marty insults the businessman throughout the movie. Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 26 Dec. 2025 Basil, of course, is far from perfect, a rude, neurotic, accident-prone manager who insults guests, hides his gambling winnings from his wife and organizes an elaborate impersonation of her when his surprise anniversary party backfires. Rhett Bartlett, HollywoodReporter, 28 Oct. 2025 Attorney General Pam Bondi insults Democrats in Senate hearing. Sudiksha Kochi, USA Today, 8 Oct. 2025 In the case of Governor Pritzker insults his body, body shamed him. Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for insults
Noun
  • First seen at a night-club table of menacing lowlifes, Ida, whose mother tongue is Brooklynese, suddenly switches to a heavy British accent and dispenses a torrent of highly literary sarcasms.
    Richard Brody, New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • But something about this circus just offends me on a spiritual level.
    Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026
  • And if that notion offends you, stay home and watch on television, and turn your man caves into casinos.
    Mike Lupica, New York Daily News, 27 June 2026
Noun
  • Look, of the outrages, these are like the least among them, as far as being upset with the administration, with the president.
    ABC News, ABC News, 14 June 2026
  • More recently, Tandy Hills experienced issues with ATVs being driven through the park and damaging wildflowers, sparking outrages on social media from people who demanded the city take action.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Trump routinely mocks Newsom and refers to the governor using a derogatory nickname, while Newsom taunts the president with frequent social media posts.
    Darlene Superville, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2026
  • On the bridge, Sam taunts his brother before getting sucked out a hole in the observation window, graphically.
    Keith Phipps, Vulture, 30 July 2026
Noun
  • Moreover, because the Sears catalog did not racially discriminate, economic historians credit the catalog as a major tool for Black consumers to side-step the indignities and discrimination of Jim Crow commerce.
    Harold Pollack, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Whether Susan was subtly trying to talk me out of the job or simply preparing me for whatever indignities lay ahead was hard to say.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 July 2026
Verb
  • The kitchen wounds him, heals him, and becomes his crucible of faith.
    Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 29 July 2026
  • The Atlanta Games are later marred by the Centennial Olympic Park bombing that kills Alice Hawthorne, wounds 111 others.
    Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2026
Noun
  • The raid drew criticism over separating families, and a group of Idahoans sued, saying officers hurled racial epithets and largely withheld water, food, bathrooms and medical care.
    Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Hochman detailed a number of prosecutions, including the sentence of one man to a life sentence plus seven years with the possibility of parole for a March 23 attack, during which racial epithets were uttered.
    City News Service, Daily News, 6 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Asked about the rivalry Tuesday, McDonald said the Crips and Bloods in Compton were peaceful before Bad Boy and Death Row started trading barbs.
    Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The president has traded barbs and missile strikes with Tehran regarding the flow of regional commerce through the international waterway since peace talks with Iran broke down last month.
    Christian Datoc, The Washington Examiner, 14 Aug. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Insults.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/insults. Accessed 23 Aug. 2026.

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