taunt

[ tawnt, tahnt ]

/ tɔnt, tɑnt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR taunt ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object)

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

to provoke by taunts; twit.

noun

an insulting gibe or sarcasm; scornful reproach or challenge.

Obsolete. an object of insulting gibes or scornful reproaches.

Nearby words

tauchnitz, taught, tauhinu, tauhou, tauiwi, taunt, taunton, taunton deane, taunus mountains, tauon, taupata

Origin of taunt

First recorded in 1505–15; origin uncertain

SYNONYMS FOR taunt

1 censure, upbraid, flout, insult.

2, 3 jeer. See ridicule.

3 scoff, derision, insult, censure, ridicule.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR taunt ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

taunt·er, nountaunt·ing·ly, adverbun·taunt·ed, adjectiveun·taunt·ing, adjective

un·taunt·ing·ly, adverb

Can be confused

taught taunt taut

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for taunting

And even as he plots defenses against American and allied air raids, he is taunting Vladimir Putin and his allies in Grozny.
ISIS Is Putin’s Problem, Too, and This Chechen Is One Reason Why.|Anna Nemtsova|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Or maybe you want to watch while she cheats on you, taunting you, forcing you to get involved in humiliating ways.
The Cuckolding Fetish: When Your Wife’s Cheating Turns You On|Aurora Snow|February 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It looked as though New York's City Hall had been overtaken by smokers intent on taunting Michael Bloomberg one last time.
New York’s Nanny-State E-Cig Ban|Olivia Nuzzi|December 20, 2013|DAILY BEAST
They seem content to hold what they have, clashing regularly, testing and taunting each other.
Syria’s Dying Revolution|Jamie Dettmer|December 20, 2012|DAILY BEAST

He believed students were taunting him, driving by his home at all hours of the night and honking a car horn.
The Professor and the Doomsday Clock: ‘A Confederacy of Dunces’ & Signs of John Kennedy Toole’s Suicide|Cory MacLauchlin|December 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
"There's the very word itself in it," said Paruig, forgetting the taunting of Giorsal and all but a father's pride.
The Lost Pibroch|Neil Munro
The taunting epithet was timed to excite him to fury, which he impulsively spent upon the more immediate provoker.
Eleven Possible Cases|Frank R. Stockton
Seeing that it was useless to stay longer, Theo departed, followed by taunting cries and yells, from all in the room.
The Bishop's Shadow|I. T. Thurston
He left unanswered a taunting remark of the soldier with the bundle.
Wang the Ninth|Putnam Weale
When she forsook me in my shame and trouble, when she stood there taunting me in my prison cell, my heart seemed to die to her.
Lover or Friend|Rosa Nouchette Carey

British Dictionary definitions for taunting (1 of 2)

taunt

/ (tɔːnt) /

verb (tr)

to provoke or deride with mockery, contempt, or criticism

to tease; tantalize

noun

a jeering remark

archaic the object of mockery

Derived Forms

taunter, nountaunting, adjectivetauntingly, adverb

Word Origin for taunt

C16: from French phrase tant pour tant like for like, rejoinder

British Dictionary definitions for taunting (2 of 2)

taunt

/ (tɔːnt) /

adjective

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

Word Origin for taunt

C15: of uncertain origin

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

verb (used with object)

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of taunt

SYNONYMS FOR taunt

Related forms

Can be confused

Examples from the Web for taunting

British Dictionary definitions for taunting (1 of 2)

taunt

verb (tr)

noun

Derived Forms

Word Origin for taunt

British Dictionary definitions for taunting (2 of 2)

taunt

adjective

Word Origin for taunt