taunts 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of taunt
as in teases
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

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taunts

2 of 2

noun

plural of taunt
as in jeers

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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 taunts
Verb
Cox will play the Ripper — real name Dom Frant — who no longer kills but still taunts survivors of his past crimes. — Rick Porter, HollywoodReporter, 15 July 2026 In the final episode of the season, Max taunts Pip on her way to Stanley’s funeral as his companion, a young blonde, laughs and drinks wine. — Nicole Briese, PEOPLE, 28 May 2026 Newsom taunts Trump with multiple jabs as Florida redistricting fight ramps up. — FOXNews.com, 28 Apr. 2026 Owen is a serial killer who, much like Zodiac, taunts the police with phone calls threatening the murder of innocent citizens. — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 14 Apr. 2026 So much for Anthropic's Super Bowl taunts. — Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026 More than an hour into the film, during a scene in which Buffalo Bill taunts the captive Catherine Martin—a moment that features both characters screaming directly into the camera—Mary got up and headed to the lobby. — Brian Raftery, Longreads, 29 Jan. 2026 In a 30-second clip, Adams is seen leaving a jet bridge while a woman who is walking ahead of him seemingly taunts Adams. — Marley Malenfant, Austin American Statesman, 15 Jan. 2026 The two come face-to-face at the end of the episode, during which Callahan taunts Kyle over his wife's murder. — Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taunts
  1. teases
  2. jeers
  3. mocks
  4. insults
  5. catcalls
  6. quips
  7. outrages
  8. affronts
Verb
  • As the family prepares to move forward without its patriarch, the preview teases uncertainty surrounding the future of the McBee businesses.
    — Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 13 July 2026
  • At times, the Swiss filmmaker teases the possibility that the conventional narrative shown thus far might break into a bold, daring twist.
    — Elena Lazic, Variety, 11 July 2026
Definition of teases
Noun
  • With boos and jeers ringing around Expo Idaho at the referees, AC Boise continued to pepper the Portland box with dangerous crosses and shots.
    — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 18 July 2026
  • Tel Aviv — A wave of jeers greeted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as Israel’s parliament prepared for a blitz of controversial legislation in the government’s closing days.
    — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
Definition of jeers
Verb
  • By and large, the General Assembly mocks his policy proposals and ignores his leadership.
    — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 18 July 2026
  • Too often international agencies are established with seemingly noble purposes but end up descending into blatant politicization that mocks their original intent.
    — Steve Forbes, Forbes.com, 17 July 2026
Definition of mocks
Noun
  • Musk and Altman have repeatedly traded blows in recent years, mocking each other’s businesses and lobbing personal insults.
    — Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 11 July 2026
  • The insults often accompany reports and even videos of kids and teens engaging in reckless riding — weaving through traffic, running stop signs, ignoring pedestrians, and performing stunts like wheelies in opposing lanes, sometimes without helmets.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 7 July 2026
Definition of insults
Noun
  • Especially women, with all those drunken servicemen rolling through, packs of them, fights spilling out of the cafés, catcalls and spitting in the streets.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
  • For Dua, puberty and social maturity become knotted up in unpredictable notions of bodily harm (whether acted upon, or merely threatened), as Serbian boys and men harass her on the way home from school, lacing their catcalls with ethnic slurs.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 13 May 2026
Definition of catcalls
Noun
  • The same is true of Shannon’s gift for eviscerating quips and Feimster’s talent for proudly shouting inappropriate things, both on full display.
    — Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026
  • Gavenas occasionally veers from hagiography, usually in the form of small, critical quips, but does not linger on the uncertainty of Mary Kay’s sale numbers.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 15 July 2026
Definition of quips
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
Definition of outrages
Noun
  • These things are murders and affronts to the dignity of human life.
    — Chris Stirewalt, The Hill, 28 Apr. 2026
  • Any tension between them, though, stems from personal affronts, while their ideological differences exist as a largely unremarked upon undercurrent.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 25 Mar. 2026
Definition of affronts

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taunting
taunts
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Cite this Entry

“Taunts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taunts. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of taunts for Spanish Speakers

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