taunt
1 Americanverb (used with object)
adjective
verb
-
to provoke or deride with mockery, contempt, or criticism
-
to tease; tantalize
noun
-
a jeering remark
-
archaic the object of mockery
adjective
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
Explanation
A short list of people not to taunt: your big brother, nightclub bouncers, evil wizards. Taunts are insulting comments, and, unless you are a really, really fast runner, keep them to yourself. Taunting is often associated with large groups picking on an individual. A mob might call out a hated king from his castle with taunts and jeers. Bullying can also take the form of taunting — something that teachers, administrators, parents, and students are working together to stop.
Vocabulary lists containing taunt
List 4
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The Crossover
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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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.
Then, this offseason, they committed another $309 million to bring in Tucker and top closer Edwin Díaz, almost as if to taunt their rivals.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 16, 2026
Guadagnino makes Hank look so shady that it feels like a taunt: We’re dumb if we trust Hank and doubly dumb if he’s innocent.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 9, 2025
Remember the collective removal of headwear to taunt the cap-less Patrick Cantlay.
From BBC • Sep. 8, 2025
But this isn’t a dirge — it’s a fight song and a taunt, and it sets the tone of comfortable, mischievous defiance that threads through the entire album.
From Salon • Sep. 2, 2025
They could taunt her into a self- doubting downward spiral, causing her to withdraw from the opportunity that Dr. Claytor had so meticulously prepared her for.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
