taunt

T1A1U1N1T1
UK/tɔːnt/US/tɔnt/cot caught merger/tɑnt/

verb

To make fun of (someone); to goad (a person) into responding, often in an aggressive manner.

“John taunts his brother to reveal his hiding spot.”

Similar
twittauntingteaserazzragcodtantalizetantalise
OriginMiddle French tanter ← Old French tempter →
Less commonScrabble 5
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Meanings

taunt1

verbtaunt (third-person singular simple present taunts, present participle taunting, simple past and past participle taunted)

present singular third person taunts · participle present taunting · participle past taunted · past taunted

  1. transitiveTo make fun of (someone); to goad (a person) into responding, often in an aggressive manner.

    John taunts his brother to reveal his hiding spot.

nountaunt (plural taunts)

plural taunts

  1. A scornful or mocking remark; a jeer or mockery.

    The attacks and the failure to catch the killer created an atmosphere of fear and dismay throughout Yorkshire, and provoked grim taunts to the police at Leeds United football matches such as “Ripper 10, Police nil”

    2020 November 13, Duncan Campbell, “Peter Sutcliffe obituary”, in The Guardian
    1 more example

    VVith ſcoffes and ſcornes, and contumelious taunts, / In open Market-place produc't they me, / To be a publique ſpectacle to all: / Here, ſayd they, is the Terror of the French, / The Scar-Crovv that affrights our Children ſo.

    1591 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Sixt”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene vi], page 100, column 1

taunt2

adjectivetaunt (comparative more taunt, superlative most taunt)

comparative more taunt · superlative most taunt

  1. obsoletenauticalVery high or tall.

    the great ships, for want of ſufficient masts, will lose the advantages the taunt masts would procure

    1764, Duhamel du Monceau, The Elememts of Naval Architecture

Taunt3

proper nounTaunt (plural Taunts)

plural Taunts

  1. A surname.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounaggravation by deriding or mocking or criticizing

Similar
twittaunting
Broader
aggravationirritationprovocation

verbharass with persistent criticism or carping

Similar
teaserazzragcodtantalizetantalisebaittwitrallyride
Broader
mockbemock
Also see
baitbarrackboochiackcodderidehecklejeerragrallyrazzridesarcasmtantalizetauntingteasetwit

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

taunt · verb, noun

  1. Old Frenchtempter“to try”
  2. Middle Frenchtanter“to tempt, try, provoke”
  3. Englishtaunt

From Middle French tanter (“to tempt, try, provoke”), variant of Old French tempter (“to try”). Doublet of tempt.

More words from Middle French, Old French

Full word history & related roots →

taunt · adjective

  1. Latintantus“of such size, so great, so much”
  2. Old Frenchtant“so great”
  3. Englishtaunt

Compare Old French tant (“so great”), French tant (“so much”), Latin tantus (“of such size, so great, so much”). See ataunt.

More words from Old French, Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Taunt · proper noun

Perhaps a variant of Daunt.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Ancient Greek κερτομέω
  • κερτομέω (kertoméō)to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
Arabic سَخِرَ
  • سَخِرَ (saḵira)to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
Bulgarian надсмивам се, подигравам се
  • надсмивам се (nadsmivam se)to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • подигравам се (podigravam se)to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • присмех (prismeh)a scornful or mocking remark
  • подигравка (podigravka)a scornful or mocking remark
Catalan mofar-se de
  • mofar-se deto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
Chinese Mandarin 奚落, 奚落
  • 奚落 (xīluò)to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • 奚落 (xīluò)a scornful or mocking remark
Dutch hekelen, schimpscheut
  • hekelento make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • schimpscheuta scornful or mocking remark
Esperanto defii
  • defiito make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
Finnish pilkata, pilkka
  • pilkatato make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • pilkkaa scornful or mocking remark
French narguer, sarcasme
  • narguerto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • sarcasmea scornful or mocking remark
German verspotten, hänseln
  • verspottento make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • hänselnto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • Spott treiben mitto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • Spotta scornful or mocking remark
  • höhnische Bemerkunga scornful or mocking remark
  • spöttische Bemerkunga scornful or mocking remark
  • Sticheleia scornful or mocking remark
Greek λοιδορώ, χλευάζω
  • λοιδορώ (loidoró)to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • χλευάζω (chlevázo)to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • σαρκάζω (sarkázo)to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • κοροϊδεύω (koroïdévo)to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • χλευασμός (chlevasmós)a scornful or mocking remark
  • λοιδορία (loidoría)a scornful or mocking remark
  • σαρκασμός (sarkasmós)a scornful or mocking remark
  • κοροϊδία (koroïdía)a scornful or mocking remark
Hebrew סָנַט
  • סָנַט (sanát)to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
Hungarian kigúnyol, gúnyolódás
  • kigúnyolto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • gúnyolódása scornful or mocking remark
  • beszólása scornful or mocking remark
Icelandic smána, brigsla
  • smánato make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • brigslato make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • hæðato make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • smána scornful or mocking remark
  • brigsla scornful or mocking remark
  • hæðnia scornful or mocking remark
Irish oirbhire, tarcaisne
  • oirbhirea scornful or mocking remark
  • tarcaisnea scornful or mocking remark
Italian schernire, dileggiare
  • schernireto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • dileggiareto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • irridereto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • schernoa scornful or mocking remark
  • dileggioa scornful or mocking remark
Japanese 楯突く, 嘲笑
  • 楯突く (tatetsuku)to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • 嘲笑 (chōshō)a scornful or mocking remark
Korean 조롱하다, 모욕하다
  • 조롱하다 (joronghada)to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • 모욕하다 (moyokhada)to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • 조롱 (jorong)a scornful or mocking remark
  • 모욕 (moyok)a scornful or mocking remark
Māori tāwai, taunu
  • tāwaito make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • taunuto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • whakatararikito make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • taunua scornful or mocking remark
  • kaioraoraa scornful or mocking remark
Norwegian håne, forhånelse
  • håneto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • forhånelsea scornful or mocking remark
  • håna scornful or mocking remark
  • nida scornful or mocking remark
Polish drwić, drwina
  • drwićto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • drwinaa scornful or mocking remark
Portuguese zombar, provocar
  • zombarto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • provocarto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • zombariaa scornful or mocking remark
Romanian batjocori, zeflemisi
  • batjocorito make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • zeflemisito make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • batjocurăa scornful or mocking remark
  • zeflemeaa scornful or mocking remark
Russian насмеха́ться над, ко́лкость
  • насмеха́ться над (nasmexátʹsja nad)to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • ко́лкость (kólkostʹ)a scornful or mocking remark
Spanish mofarse de, pullar
  • mofarse deto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • pullarto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • cachosearto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • sacar cachitato make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • mofaa scornful or mocking remark
  • pullaa scornful or mocking remark
  • cachitaa scornful or mocking remark
  • cachaa scornful or mocking remark
Swedish häckla, pika
  • häcklato make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • pikato make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • smädato make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • gliringa scornful or mocking remark
  • glåporda scornful or mocking remark
Tamil சீண்டு
  • சீண்டு (cīṇṭu)to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
Thai ยั่วยุ, ยั่ว
  • ยั่วยุto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • ยั่ว (yûua)to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • ยุ (yú)to make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
Turkish alay etmek, sataşmak
  • alay etmekto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • sataşmakto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • iğnelemekto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • alaya scornful or mocking remark
Vietnamese chế giễu, lời chế giễu
  • chế giễuto make fun of (someone); to goad into responding
  • lời chế giễua scornful or mocking remark

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with taunt

auntwonthauntgauntflauntjauntdauntavauntvauntromaunt
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

taunt. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taunt

MLA

“taunt.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taunt. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “taunt,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/taunt.

Source: taunt on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.