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
Relevance
as in jeer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of taunt
David Denby, New Yorker, 23 May 2025
Miller then scored 25 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Pacers to a 93-86 victory, taunting Knicks superfan Spike Lee on the sideline by making a choke signal.
—Brian Mahoney, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025
David Moscrop, TIME, 24 Mar. 2025
Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury has long endured racist and homophobic taunts.
—Susan M. Shaw, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for taunt
Verb
Brooks, in her movies, lures men to their doom—or taunts men with her availability, only to refuse them.
—David Denby, New Yorker, 23 May 2025
Miller then scored 25 points in the fourth quarter to rally the Pacers to a 93-86 victory, taunting Knicks superfan Spike Lee on the sideline by making a choke signal.
—Brian Mahoney, Chicago Tribune, 19 May 2025
Noun
With Trump’s taunts, the pressure on the highly unpopular Trudeau to step aside only grew.
—David Moscrop, TIME, 24 Mar. 2025
Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury has long endured racist and homophobic taunts.
—Susan M. Shaw, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for taunt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taunt
Noun
-
But the road to that reality has been anything but smooth, with a rally last week in Castle Rock decrying the move, a tense town hall meeting at county headquarters that ended in shouts and jeers — and a lawsuit attempting to shut the whole thing down.—
John Aguilar,
Denver Post,
8 June 2025
-
There had never been physical violence against the group, but there were insults, jeers, accusations that the marchers themselves support genocide.—
Trevor Hughes,
USA Today,
8 June 2025
Noun
-
His voice—typically pitched between a bellow and a sneer—was instantly recognizable to the couple that night.—
Air Mail,
Air Mail,
3 May 2025
-
In a movie climate where remakes tend to draw sneers of derision and claims that people have just gotten too lazy to invent anything new, Disney’s remakes of its own products are always a chief target.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
TIME,
21 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Trump posted Friday on social media, using a derisive nickname for Powell.—
Bloomberg News,
Boston Herald,
7 June 2025
-
What makes some films feel real and others like sham products, worthy only of that derisive term content?—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
7 May 2025
Noun
-
The president and the governor are having a momentous fight about constitutional rights in the courts, and flaming each other with insults and photoshopped memes on Truth Social and X. The ICE raids have thrown some Angelenos into a state of fear and virtual hiding.—
Julia Wick,
Los Angeles Times,
14 June 2025
-
And while many residents and officials in Los Angeles have sought to tamp down reactions to the sometimes-violent protests, President Donald Trump and his administration have appeared to fan the flames, hurling insults in social media posts and encouraging an aggressive response to protests.—
Pamela Avila,
USA Today,
11 June 2025
Noun
-
Here are some of the scenes unfolding as mock drills get underway: National Disaster Response Force personnel take part in a civil defense mock drill in Varanasi, India.—
Mithil Aggarwal,
NBC news,
7 May 2025
-
If a gorilla mock charges (pounding its chest and sprinting toward you), resist every instinct to scream and run.—
The Learning Network,
New York Times,
16 May 2025
Noun
-
Enter the freestyle diss track round, where each contestant had to deliver a rap targeting none other than Sam Reich himself — accompanied by a live beatboxer named Antonio.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
5 May 2025
-
Last Friday, another short video was shared on his Instagram, this one featuring a snippet of his own diss.—
Jon Blistein,
Rolling Stone,
3 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Roy Keane’s ‘prawn sandwiches’ jibe had interesting origins.—
Michael Walker,
The Athletic,
15 Mar. 2025
-
But even some Republicans weren’t happy with the nasty gibe.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
But instead of a brief response that many NFL fans have become familiar with, Belichick responded with a quip about his recent book.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
11 June 2025
-
An early Super 70s fan, installed in the front row, queasily yearned for quips about the days of dirt bikes and cigarette machines, or even for those days themselves.—
Nick Paumgarten,
New Yorker,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taunt. Accessed 26 Jun. 2025.
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