as in teased
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
the principal reminded the student athletes that taunting their opponents was not showing good sportsmanship
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Recent Examples of taunted
On another occasion, a group of students tripped him to the ground, put a cheese crown made of paper on his head, and then taunted him with actual cheese.
—
Eyal Press, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2025
While Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a one-run complete game in a historic outing for Los Angeles at the Rogers Centre, all eyes were on superstar Shohei Ohtani after he was booed and taunted by the Toronto crowd in Game 1.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Warm winter jackets taunted him.
—Jeff Pearlman, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Rader — who killed at least 10 victims over the span of three decades, per The New York Times — famously taunted police with his crimes through letters to law enforcement and the media for five years from 1974 to 1979, when his communications ceased.
—Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
Often taunted by tabloids for her unsmiling demeanor, Victoria shows off her sense of humor and gets real about some of the most difficult parts of her past, including her struggles with an eating disorder and almost losing her fashion business entirely.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
Goldberg and Behar taunted producer Brian Teta for rushing the EGOT-winning actress along during a Hot Topics chat.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
The two half-brothers had argued frequently, taunted one another online, and called each other derogatory names, both sides agreed.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Twice, Ali taunted Frazier, beckoning him to hit him.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Eyal Press, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2025
While Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a one-run complete game in a historic outing for Los Angeles at the Rogers Centre, all eyes were on superstar Shohei Ohtani after he was booed and taunted by the Toronto crowd in Game 1.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Warm winter jackets taunted him.
—Jeff Pearlman, Rolling Stone, 17 Oct. 2025
Rader — who killed at least 10 victims over the span of three decades, per The New York Times — famously taunted police with his crimes through letters to law enforcement and the media for five years from 1974 to 1979, when his communications ceased.
—Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 11 Oct. 2025
Often taunted by tabloids for her unsmiling demeanor, Victoria shows off her sense of humor and gets real about some of the most difficult parts of her past, including her struggles with an eating disorder and almost losing her fashion business entirely.
—Ellise Shafer, Variety, 9 Oct. 2025
Goldberg and Behar taunted producer Brian Teta for rushing the EGOT-winning actress along during a Hot Topics chat.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Oct. 2025
The two half-brothers had argued frequently, taunted one another online, and called each other derogatory names, both sides agreed.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
Twice, Ali taunted Frazier, beckoning him to hit him.
—Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taunted
Verb
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The duo also teased what to expect from Season 2 of The Pitt.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
6 Nov. 2025
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Earlier this week, Ballerini teased the forthcoming release by posting a video on her socials that showed Ballerini swinging on a swingset in a park.—
Jessica Nicholson,
Billboard,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In another photo obtained by TMZ, Matthews also mocked Perry’s headline-making photo of her kissing the ground following her return to Earth.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
10 Nov. 2025
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Elites stirred up a now familiar moral panic about commerce corrupting letters and mocked Grub Street even as its writers built the first modern freelance economy and mass-print culture.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
8 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taunted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taunted. Accessed 20 Nov. 2025.
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