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
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 taunt
Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 4 May 2025
California Oxnard ‘swatting’ call, with police taunted via Ring camera, is part of federal indictment
Dec. 19, 2022
Nelson and co-conspirators hacked into a dozen Ring home security camera accounts, and placed bogus emergency calls to police.
—Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2025
Officers regularly face taunts, verbal abuse and a profound lack of support in the communities where they’re stationed — despite putting their lives on the line to protect those very communities.
—Paul Vallas, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taunt
Verb
Dončić, like many people inside the N.B.A. and out, seemed to take special pleasure in taunting Gobert, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year.
—Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 4 May 2025
California Oxnard ‘swatting’ call, with police taunted via Ring camera, is part of federal indictment
Dec. 19, 2022
Nelson and co-conspirators hacked into a dozen Ring home security camera accounts, and placed bogus emergency calls to police.
—Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025
Noun
Here was a player who had without doubt suffered more abuse and more taunts and more hatred than any player in the history of the game.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2025
Officers regularly face taunts, verbal abuse and a profound lack of support in the communities where they’re stationed — despite putting their lives on the line to protect those very communities.
—Paul Vallas, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for taunt
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taunt
Verb
-
For a long time, Burna Boy has been teasing a new album called No Sign of Weakness.—
Matthew Strauss,
Pitchfork,
22 May 2025
-
Joy Behar teased, snapping Goldberg out of her short snooze.—
Emlyn Travis Published,
EW.com,
22 May 2025
Noun
-
The midfielder received jeers and whistles after he was subbed off in the 74th minute during an April 2022 home game against Norwich City.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
14 May 2025
-
Footage from an April 23 game caught the moments when Asian players from Albany High School were the subject of racist jeers.—
Abigail Adams,
People.com,
9 May 2025
Verb
-
Gervais also mocked himself during his acceptance speech.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
31 May 2025
-
A week later, Rogan mocked Hawass and weighed in again on skeptical theories over who built the pyramids.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 May 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
Noun
-
They were quickly showered with boos and insults, along with various food items and beverages, including my mother’s large Pepsi.—
Leonard Greene,
New York Daily News,
17 May 2025
-
Students understood the insult – and its historical sting.—
Simon Montlake,
Christian Science Monitor,
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
-
This is a straight-up revenge saga, with Statham as a father out to wreak havoc on the men who killed his teenage son, and the movie, after a jokey stage-setting intro, mostly eschews Ritchie’s usual quips and one-liners.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
27 May 2025
-
Her Liesl is a firecracker who has no qualms about going toe to toe with her powerful father—hilariously deadpan, no-nonsense, and with all the best quips, but also human, with a real heart, conscience, and crises of faith.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
18 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taunt.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taunt. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share