as in teased
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
the principal reminded the student athletes that taunting their opponents was not showing good sportsmanship
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Recent Examples of taunted
Lazzaro argued in court the mall victim was the aggressor and had taunted Hernandez over his history as a government informant, saying his reputation as a snitch would put him in grave danger back in prison.
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Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
Flex, who taunted Cassie on Instagram immediately after the Diddy verdict, is not turning back that tide.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Friday's sentence was related to small amounts of cocaine and ecstasy being found at the rapper's Miami home during a police raid in March, and his punching a man who taunted him at a Florida mall in August over his cooperation against gang members.
—CBS News, 6 Dec. 2025
The National Guard ⬆ For much of the past year, National Guard units have been pawns on a chessboard, taunted by protesters.
—Newsweek Editors, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Nov. 2025
And throughout it, you, the reader, will be addressed directly, questioned, sometimes taunted by the novel’s unnamed narrator.
—Literary Hub, 19 Nov. 2025
Dearborn police released a statement Tuesday evening, urging people to avoid engaging with the protesters, some of whom taunted Dearborn residents with rhetoric against Islam, immigrants and minorities.
—Niraj Warikoo, Freep.com, 19 Nov. 2025
On another occasion, a group of students tripped him to the ground, put a cheese crown made of paper on his head, and then taunted him with actual cheese.
—Eyal Press, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2025
While Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched a one-run complete game in a historic outing for Los Angeles at the Rogers Centre, all eyes were on superstar Shohei Ohtani after he was booed and taunted by the Toronto crowd in Game 1.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 26 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for taunted
Verb
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Hilary Duff teased a new single with a video of her singing in a soaking wet butter yellow dress.—
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As teased by a first look clip, this twist will give way to season-long feuds, shocking betrayals, and plenty of trash talk.—
Verb
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Several protesters with megaphones frequently celebrated or mocked the assassination of Charlie Kirk, usually accompanying the taunts with profanity.—
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Tesla posted its second consecutive sales decline, losing its long‑held electric vehicle crown to a company the billionaire once mocked.—
Cite this Entry
“Taunted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/taunted. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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