as in teasing
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 taunting
Zach Berman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Rodgers held up his hand to his ear, taunting the fans who were talking smack to him.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 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
Trump on Wednesday took to Truth Social to jab Newsom with a couple of posts taunting the likely 2028 Democratic presidential contender.
—Amie Parnes, The Hill, 4 Sep. 2025
Trump has also threatened to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell, often taunting him with name-calling.
—Alex Veiga, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
That entanglement allowed Biden to traverse the country haranguing business on equity, climate, daycare, union labor, and other whole-of-government crusades—while taunting Republicans who relented for the sake of home-district dollars.
—Clyde Wayne Crews Jr, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Vulgar, taunting texts blow up the phones of a Michigan teen and her boyfriend.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 23 Aug. 2025
Along with some shockingly gruesome slides (lots of intestines and Jack the Ripper–style organ removal), Wallace shares that the New York Ripper is still traumatizing the relatives of his victims by leaving voice-mails taunting them about his brutal crimes.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
In addition to Carter’s disqualification, Nolan Smith was flagged for taunting and roughing the quarterback.
—Zach Berman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Rodgers held up his hand to his ear, taunting the fans who were talking smack to him.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 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
Trump on Wednesday took to Truth Social to jab Newsom with a couple of posts taunting the likely 2028 Democratic presidential contender.
—Amie Parnes, The Hill, 4 Sep. 2025
Trump has also threatened to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell, often taunting him with name-calling.
—Alex Veiga, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2025
That entanglement allowed Biden to traverse the country haranguing business on equity, climate, daycare, union labor, and other whole-of-government crusades—while taunting Republicans who relented for the sake of home-district dollars.
—Clyde Wayne Crews Jr, Forbes.com, 25 Aug. 2025
Vulgar, taunting texts blow up the phones of a Michigan teen and her boyfriend.
—Ryan Schwartz, TVLine, 23 Aug. 2025
Along with some shockingly gruesome slides (lots of intestines and Jack the Ripper–style organ removal), Wallace shares that the New York Ripper is still traumatizing the relatives of his victims by leaving voice-mails taunting them about his brutal crimes.
—Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taunting
Verb
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Spotify has been teasing the high-fidelity format for years.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
10 Sep. 2025
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On Instagram, Alcaraz — who defeated Jannik Sinner in four sets to win his second title at the prestigious tournament held in New York — shared a carousel of images, teasing the process of his hairstyle switch-up.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Student accused of mocking Charlie Kirk death Camryn Giselle Booker, a student at Texas Tech University, was arrested on charges of assault after an altercation with students mourning the death of Charlie Kirk.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon is seeking to identify and potentially discipline anyone who has made posts celebrating or mocking Kirk’s death.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The intensity of Irish expressions of solidarity in 2024 caused one pro-Israel commentator, Ben Cohen, to coin the term Paddystinian as a derisive epithet to counter the narrative.—
Philip Metres
August 27,
Literary Hub,
27 Aug. 2025
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Wall Street reacted to the delays with a derisive nickname TACO, for Trump Always Chickens Out.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
Adjective
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Vice President Vance appeared on FOX News Channel’s The Ingraham Angle hours after the heckling incident, telling the host about visiting with the national guardsmen and discussing recent changes to the city, while briefly mentioning the protesters.—
Jillian Frankel,
People.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Where internet trolls often come off as flippant or spiteful, there is a relentless sense of play and mastery of language in even McNally’s most needling posts.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taunting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taunting. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
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