taunting 1 of 2

adjective

as in mocking

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taunting

2 of 2

verb

present participle of taunt
as in teasing
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

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 taunting
Verb
His gruff mechanic Cooter Davenport is introduced as a hell-raising, uncouth wild man, constantly taunting the authorities and flouting convention. — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Aug. 2026 Gunther once again took his attention away from Aldis by taunting Aldis’ wife—WWE Hall of Famer Mickie James—and his son Donovan. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2026 The ancient namesake ammunition detailed by researchers at Spain’s Autonomous University of Barcelona is only the latest example of Roman soldiers’ penchant for taunting their enemies from afar. — Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 30 July 2026 Salgado is accused of approaching the man, taunting him to start a fight and punching him in the face, police said. — Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 29 July 2026 And the Ithacan more than lives up to his reputation as the most obstinate hero in history, regularly taunting Poseidon (Miles Anderson) despite knowing the god will delay his return home. — Elaina Patton, IndieWire, 24 July 2026 In that contest, Clark was assessed a technical foul for loudly clapping in the direction of Mercury players during a skirmish, which White said the officials deemed as taunting. — James Boyd, New York Times, 19 July 2026 Popov’s friends eventually left but Popov stuck around and continued taunting Sibley and his friends. — Ben Brachfeld, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026 There was one from Spain–Portugal in Dallas, with [Spanish defensive midfielder] Rodri and [Portuguese midfielder] Bernardo Silva, where one of them was taunting the other. — T.m. Brown, CNN Money, 8 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taunting
  1. mocking
  2. teasing
  3. derisive
  4. heckling
  5. needling
Adjective
  • To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country!
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
Definition of mocking
Verb
  • The film also shows Reagan confidently teasing his negotiating team about being Democrats, which was probably done so that the movie could make the summit seem like a bipartisan effort.
    — Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Pasquarosa began teasing her relationship with Fiore in late February by posting photos and videos with him on social media.
    — Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of teasing
Adjective
  • According to Elsas, the name began as a slight — a derisive label used by a Northern newspaper reporter to mock the poor Scots-Irish mill workers who lived in the neighborhood during a headline-grabbing labor strike.
    — Brian Unger, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Adams was a font of derisive comedic inspiration for Barone during his tenure.
    — Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 27 July 2026
Definition of derisive
Adjective
  • There was also an August 2024 incident at Fenway when Duran hurled a homophobic slur at a heckling fan.
    — Greg Dudek, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026
  • Charles Barkley was once spitting mad at a heckling fan, and his expectoration wound up splashing on an 8-year-old girl.
    — Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 22 May 2026
Definition of heckling
Adjective
  • Then, Metric’s peak came on 2009’s Fantasies, which paired needling electronics with thumping drum programming; both it and its follow-up, Synthetica, hit the top 10 on the Canadian albums chart and went platinum in Canada.
    — Ethan Beck, Pitchfork, 4 May 2026
  • For power users, this sort of thing can’t help but read as needling, even petty platform quirks.
    — Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
Definition of needling

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Cite this Entry

“Taunting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taunting. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of taunting for Spanish Speakers

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