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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of taunts
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Sep. 2025
In the present day, Ellen watches as MacKinny taunts Colum in front of a crowd of onlookers and rushes to stand by his side.
—Lincee Ray Published, EW.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Noun
Garraty is forced to slap himself across the face to stay awake as Barkovitch taunts him.
—Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 8 Sep. 2025
In the present day, Ellen watches as MacKinny taunts Colum in front of a crowd of onlookers and rushes to stand by his side.
—Lincee Ray Published, EW.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taunts
Verb
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Phil initially teases Peter for being weak and effeminate.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
25 Sep. 2025
-
Berger also teases the next two installments of this Demon Slayer movie trilogy and, yes, popcorn buckets.—
Nick Romano,
Entertainment Weekly,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Student imitates Charlie Kirk's death and mocks him, goes up to statue where TPUSA members are and imitates his death again, and spits near them.—
Nick Mordowanec,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
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YouTube's policies specifically prohibit content that revels in or mocks the death or serious injury of an identifiable individual.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The protesters, identified as pro-Palestinian activists, forced Harris to pause multiple times as jeers broke out.—
Jordan King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
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Random eruptions of cheers, when goals went in, and jeers, when the opponent did something to ridicule, blended.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
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During the speech, however, Kemp periodically deviated from building up Astra to hurling insults at several of his competitors in the launch industry.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
25 Sep. 2025
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Kimmel has been a frequent target, with the two trading insults.—
Dominick Mastrangelo,
The Hill,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Several poked fun at the moment through humorous quips.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
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Kimmel could easily have addressed his comments on another episode or issued a statement in response to complaints; after all, there have been plenty of minor controversies over the years about quips made on late-night shows.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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This shame campaign, of course, is unlikely to put a dent in the NFL’s bottom line, just as previous outrages have failed to rattle this juggernaut, still the largest professional athletic league in the world by revenue.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
16 Sep. 2025
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As a result of that and other outrages, in 2008 voters passed Proposition 11, the Voters FIRST Act.—
The Editorial Board,
Oc Register,
7 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Bukele, after a disastrous month for his image, was not willing to tolerate any more affronts.—
Óscar Martínez & Carlos Martínez,
The Dial,
16 Sep. 2025
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These constituencies view the sanctions and the tariffs as otherwise legal instruments weaponized for geopolitical purposes—and as direct affronts to Brazil’s democratic integrity.—
HUSSEIN KALOUT,
Foreign Affairs,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Smollett, who is gay and Black, claimed that two men had attacked him while yelling racist and homophobic slurs outside of his apartment building in Chicago.—
Stephanie Wenger,
PEOPLE,
24 Sep. 2025
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He was quoted using several racial and religious slurs.—
Mandy Taheri,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Taunts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taunts. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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