Meaning & use
taunt
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To say unkind, mocking things to someone in order to make them angry or upset.
Grammar: Takes a person as object: taunt a classmate. The words used can follow with 'about': taunt someone about something.
Patterns
- taunt someone
- taunt someone about something
- taunt someone with something
The older boys taunted him about his accent every morning.
Stop taunting your sister and finish your homework.
Fans taunted the goalkeeper whenever he touched the ball.
nouncountable
A remark or joke made to mock someone and make them angry.
Grammar: Countable; often used in the plural for a series of remarks: shouts and taunts.
Patterns
- a taunt from someone
- shout taunts at someone
He ignored the taunts from the crowd and kept walking.
Her taunt about his old car made everyone laugh nervously.
Word forms
| third person singular | taunts |
|---|---|
| past tense | taunted |
| past participle | taunted |
| -ing form | taunting |
Common combinations
- taunt someone about something
- The children taunted him about his new glasses.
- taunt someone with something
- They taunted her with nicknames she hated.
- shout taunts at someone
- Protesters shouted taunts at the players as they left.
- ignore the taunts
- She learned to ignore the taunts and focus on her game.
- a cruel taunt
- His cruel taunt about her family went too far.
Synonyms and how they differ
- mock
- Means to make fun of someone, often by copying them; it can be lighter or playful, while taunt suggests deliberate cruelty.
- jeer
- Describes shouting rude comments, usually from a crowd; taunt can also be quiet and personal.
- tease
- Often friendly or affectionate; taunt is always meant to hurt or provoke.
- provoke
- Means to make someone react, sometimes without words; taunt is specifically about mocking words.
Opposites
Word family
- taunting adjective
- said or done in order to mock someone
- tauntingly adverb
- in a mocking way intended to upset someone
Commonly confused: taunt or taut? taunt or daunt?
taunt vs taut
Means stretched tight, as in a taut rope, and sounds almost the same but has nothing to do with mocking.
taunt vs daunt
Means to make someone feel worried or less confident, as in a task that daunts her; the meaning is quite different.
Practice
The boys kept ______ him about his old shoes.
Choose one answer.
After 'kept', we need the -ing form to show a repeated action. 'Taunt' is the base form, 'taunts' is present simple, and 'taunted' is past, none of which fit after 'kept' here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “taunt”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.