taunt — to provoke or challenge someone with insulting remarks
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to provoke or challenge someone with insulting remarks
Pronunciation (IPA): /tɔːnt/
Example Sentences
- My cat seems to taunt the dog by sitting just out of reach.
- The opposing fans taunted our team with silly chants.
- He couldn't resist taunting his little sister about her fear of spiders.
taunt
VERB[/tɔːnt/]
to provoke or challenge someone with insulting remarks
The bullies taunt the new kid about his oversized backpack.
The gaunt ghost will taunt what memories haunt
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From French 'tanter' meaning 'to tempt' or 'to try,' which came from Latin 'tentare' meaning 'to stretch' or 'to test.' The word evolved to mean provoking or challenging someone through insulting remarks.
Breakdown
taunt (single morpheme, no clear internal breakdown) - derived from Old French 'tanter' (to tempt/try) from Latin 'tentare' (to stretch/test)
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My cat seems to taunt the dog by sitting just out of reach.”
“The opposing fans taunted our team with silly chants.”
“He couldn't resist taunting his little sister about her fear of spiders.”
“The empty refrigerator seemed to taunt him after his failed diet.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
Related
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