What does taunt mean?

Definitions for taunt
tɔnt, tɑnttaunt

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word taunt.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. twit, taunt, tauntingverb

    aggravation by deriding or mocking or criticizing

  2. tease, razz, rag, cod, tantalize, tantalise, bait, taunt, twit, rally, rideverb

    harass with persistent criticism or carping

    "The children teased the new teacher"; "Don't ride me so hard over my failure"; "His fellow workers razzed him when he wore a jacket and tie"

Wiktionary

  1. tauntnoun

    A scornful or mocking remark; a jeer or mockery

  2. tauntverb

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

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. Tauntnoun

    Insult; scoff; reproach; ridicule.

    Etymology: from the verb.

    With scoffs and scorns, and contumelious taunts,
    In open market-place produc’d they me,
    To be a publick spectacle. William Shakespeare, Henry VI.

    He would avoid such bitter taunts,
    As in the time of death he gave our father. William Shakespeare.

    Julian thought it more effectual to persecute the Christians by taunts and ironies, than by tortures. Gov. of the Tongue.

    He by vile hands to common use debas’d,
    Shall send them flowing round his drunken feast,
    With sacrilegious taunt, and impious jest. Matthew Prior.

  2. To Tauntverb

    Etymology: tanser, Fr. Stephen Skinner Tanden, Dutch, to shew teeth. Minshew.

    When I had at my pleasure taunted her,
    She in mild terms begg’d my patience. William Shakespeare.

    The bitterness and stings of taunting jealousy,
    Vexatious days, and jarring joyless nights,
    Have driv’n him forth. Nicholas Rowe, Jane Shore.

    Rail thou in Fulvia’s phrase, and taunt my faults
    With such full licence. William Shakespeare, Ant. and Cleopatra.

Wikipedia

  1. taunt

    A taunt is a battle cry, sarcastic remark, gesture, or insult intended to demoralize the recipient, or to anger them and encourage reactionary behaviors without thinking. Taunting can exist as a form of social competition to gain control of the target's cultural capital (i.e., status). In sociological theory, the control of the three social capitals is used to produce an advantage in the social hierarchy, so as to enforce one's own position in relation to others. Taunting is committed by either directly or indirectly encouraging others to taunt the target. The target may give a response in kind to maintain status, as in fighting words and trash-talk. Taunts are also a genre of folklore.

ChatGPT

  1. taunt

    A taunt is a remark or comment intended to provoke, ridicule, mock, insult, or challenge someone, often aiming to incite anger, annoyance, or other strong reaction. It could also refer to an act of openly boasting or challenging someone in a mocking or insulting manner.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Tauntadjective

    very high or tall; as, a ship with taunt masts

  2. Tauntverb

    to reproach with severe or insulting words; to revile; to upbraid; to jeer at; to flout

  3. Tauntnoun

    upbraiding language; bitter or sarcastic reproach; insulting invective

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Taunt

    tawnt, v.t. to reproach or upbraid with severe or insulting words: to censure sarcastically.—n. upbraiding, sarcastic, or insulting words: a bitter reproach.—n. Taunt′er.—adj. Taunt′ing.—adv. Taunt′ingly. [O. Fr. tanter—L. tentāre, to tempt.]

Dictionary of Nautical Terms

  1. taunt

    High or tall, commonly applied to very long masts.--All a taunto is a ship having all her light and long spars aloft.

Suggested Resources

  1. Taunt

    Taut vs. Taunt -- In this Grammar.com article you will learn the differences between the words Taut and Taunt.

Surnames Frequency by Census Records

  1. TAUNT

    According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Taunt is ranked #133863 in terms of the most common surnames in America.

    The Taunt surname appeared 126 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 would have the surname Taunt.

    99.2% or 125 total occurrences were White.

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

How to pronounce taunt?

How to say taunt in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of taunt in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of taunt in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4

Examples of taunt in a Sentence

  1. Jessica Levinson:

    With a pardon comes at least the veneer of an admission of guilty, in a way, I think pardoning himself and his family is almost like a taunt. It would have said ‘try to come and get me,’ and would have accelerated litigation and investigation.

  2. Paul Carroll:

    It's been all about pressure and brinksmanship and military tools and tactics and chess something, and now to literally, directly taunt the leader of North Korea is like poking the hornet's nest yet again, if you do this kind of ratcheting (up) of rhetorical tensions but also sending military hardware into the region, if you do that absent of any kind of offramp or door or window for the North Koreans to consider walking through and reengaging in any sort of discussions, bad things are going to happen.

  3. Rukia Mahmoud:

    If you are raped and decide to speak out, everybody in the village would taunt you, that's why most rape victims keep it secret as they don't want to be a laughing stock.

  4. Paul Carroll:

    It's been all about pressure and brinksmanship and military tools and tactics and( chest-thumping), and now to literally, directly taunt the leader of North Korea is like poking the hornet's nest yet again.

  5. James Scott:

    A vulnerability in an organization's IoT microcosm is a taunt to exploit by malicious hackers.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

taunt#10000#53644#100000

Translations for taunt

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • تهكمArabic
  • надсмивам се, подигравам сеBulgarian
  • Stichelei, Spott, spöttische Bemerkung, verspotten, höhnische Bemerkung, hänseln, Spott treiben mitGerman
  • κοροϊδεύω, σαρκάζω, χλευάζω, λοιδορώ, κοροϊδία, χλευασμός, λοιδορία, σαρκασμόςGreek
  • mofa, mofarSpanish
  • pilkata, pilkkaFinnish
  • narguer, sarcasme, raillerieFrench
  • סָנַטHebrew
  • gúnyolódás, kigúnyolHungarian
  • smán, brigsl, brigsla, hæða, smána, hæðniIcelandic
  • schernire, schernoItalian
  • 嘲笑Japanese
  • 모욕, 모욕하다, 조롱, 조롱하다Korean
  • tāwai, taunuMāori
  • schimpscheut, hekelenDutch
  • nid, håne, hån, forhånelseNorwegian
  • zombar, zombariaPortuguese
  • насмехаться, колкостьRussian
  • pika, häckla, glåpord, smäda, gliringSwedish
  • ยั่วยุThai
  • iğnelemek, alay etmek, alay, sataşmakTurkish
  • 嘲諷Chinese

Get even more translations for taunt »

Translation

Find a translation for the taunt definition in other languages:

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Word of the Day

Would you like us to send you a FREE new word definition delivered to your inbox daily?

Please enter your email address:


Citation

Use the citation below to add this definition to your bibliography:

Style:MLAChicagoAPA

"taunt." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 4 Nov. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/taunt>.

Discuss these taunt definitions with the community:

0 Comments

    Are we missing a good definition for taunt? Don't keep it to yourself...

    Image or illustration of

    taunt

    Credit »

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Chrome

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Free, no signup required:

    Add to Firefox

    Get instant definitions for any word that hits you anywhere on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a words master?

    »
    regarding something abstract as a material thing
    A instigation
    B hypostatization
    C auspices
    D imperviousness

    Nearby & related entries:

    Alternative searches for taunt: