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Synonyms

taunt

1 American  
[tawnt, tahnt] / tɔnt, tɑnt /

verb (used with object)

  1. to reproach in a sarcastic, insulting, or jeering manner; mock.

    Synonyms:
    insult, flout, upbraid, censure

  2. to provoke by taunts; twit.

    Synonyms:
    jeer

noun

  1. an insulting gibe or sarcasm; scornful reproach or challenge.

    Synonyms:
    ridicule, censure, derision, insult, scoff

  2. Obsolete. an object of insulting gibes or scornful reproaches.

taunt 2 American  
[tawnt, tahnt] / tɔnt, tɑnt /

adjective

Nautical.

  1. tall, as a mast.

taunt 1 British  
/ tɔːnt /

verb

  1. to provoke or deride with mockery, contempt, or criticism

  2. to tease; tantalize

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a jeering remark

  2. archaic the object of mockery

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
taunt 2 British  
/ tɔːnt /

adjective

  1. nautical (of the mast or masts of a sailing vessel) unusually tall

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See ridicule.

Other Word Forms

  • taunter noun
  • taunting adjective
  • tauntingly adverb
  • untaunted adjective

Etymology

Origin of taunt1

First recorded in 1505–15; origin uncertain

Origin of taunt2

First recorded in 1490–1500; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“I’m Actually Kinda Famous” sneers and taunts a portrayal of fame over synths, and “Cannibalism!” is wrapped in youthful desire and garage rock fuzz.

From Los Angeles Times

Crew chief Marc Davis said in a pool report that both players were “assessed technical fouls for their continual taunting of one another.”

From Los Angeles Times

‘Your Fa’s mad!’ the children had taunted Torak five summers before, when he and Fa had journeyed to the sea-shore for the clan meet.

From Literature

The five-dollar bill crumpled in the bottom of my pocket taunted me, goading me to get my photograph taken like Ba and Auntie Matchmaker wanted.

From Literature

He turned away after silencing the taunts, cupping his ear to The Kop, who were stunned into silence after his sixth Premier League goal versus Liverpool.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.