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
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Recent Examples of taunt
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 19 Apr. 2025
Sometimes songs are written by fan clubs and are tailored to taunt that day’s opponent.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2025
Social media companies say that bullying has always been a problem and will continue whether via schoolyard taunts, crank phone calls, or their platforms.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taunt
Verb
Harvard rejecting Trump’s demands was followed by the freezing of $2.2 billion of federal research funds along with Trump’s taunting threats to Harvard's tax-exempt status.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 19 Apr. 2025
Sometimes songs are written by fan clubs and are tailored to taunt that day’s opponent.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Noun
Conway said the video was posted while Maldonado was in a rival gang’s territory as a taunt.
—Caleb Lunetta, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Mar. 2025
Social media companies say that bullying has always been a problem and will continue whether via schoolyard taunts, crank phone calls, or their platforms.
—Charlie Campbell, Time, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taunt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taunt
Noun
-
The senator said El Salvador is an independent country and its president isn’t subject to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Supreme Court, which was followed by jeers in the audience.—
Jared Gans,
The Hill,
16 Apr. 2025
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But the prevailing mood was one of futility and there were ironic jeers from the Forest fans when Garnacho booted the ball high into the Bridgford Stand 18 minutes from time.—
Laurie Whitwell,
New York Times,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
But the moralistic sneer didn’t take long to enter the postgame analysis.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes,
23 Mar. 2025
-
The male characters are, typically, petulant narcissists with perpetual sneers who insult and cajole their female love interests into almost invariably unhealthy relationships.—
Josh Bell,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Yet their box-office take was negligible, and many reviews were not just negative but derisive.—
Richard Brody,
The New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2025
-
Fans gave up and drew national attention for paying planes to circle the stadium with derisive banners.—
Matt Baker,
The Athletic,
31 Dec. 2024
Noun
-
The order is so blatant in its attempt to rewrite history that to call it Orwellian would be something of an insult to Big Brother.—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
29 Apr. 2025
-
Earbuds have become the pedestrian’s car stereo, a kind of acoustic Bubble Wrap shielding us from noise or chatter or insults and makes obsolete a once-fundamental New York experience: the casual interaction.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The fifth quarterback drafted in this mock, Mendoza was a pleasant surprise when watching the Cal offense this past season.—
Dane Brugler,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
-
The mocks: He is being projected 42nd to the Jets (by Mel Kiper Jr.), 67th (by ESPN’s Jordan Reid), 55th by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler and 70th by NFL.com’s Chad Reuter.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Talk of the Bey diss begins around the 25-minute mark.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
9 Apr. 2025
-
Lana Del Rey had a huge confession (and a little diss) to make at Stagecoach.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
26 Apr. 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
-
The organization ended up cutting out Rogen’s quip from the ceremony.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
15 Apr. 2025
-
Campaign videos feature sharp suits, barbed quips at President Emmanuel Macron and selfie lines at rally stops.—
Thomas Adamson,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taunt. Accessed 13 May. 2025.
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