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“taunted”
taunt (verb), taunts; taunted; taunting
1. To provoke, to ridicule, or to tease someone in a painful or mocking way: Some of the girls in Debbie’s class taunted and laughed at her because she wore her sister’s hand-me-down clothes to school.
2. To tantalize somebody; for example, by refusing to disclose a secret: Jane was taunted and teased by her little sister who wanted to know her boyfriend’s name!
3. To aggravate someone by deriding or mocking or criticizing him or her: Tommy was very fat and so many of the kids in his class often taunted and made fun of him.
4. To harass with persistent criticism or carping: Mike’s mother always seemed to nag and to taunt him because he seldom ever cleaned up his bedroom and put his clothes where they should be.
5. To make a sarcastic, biting speech or remark: Sometimes in presidential debates, the candidates taunt their opponents with sharp and cutting statements, some of which are totally false!.
6. To reproach with sarcastic or contemptuous words; to mock; to upbraid: Because Susan made so many mistakes in the minutes she took at the business meeting, the chairman taunted and admonished her for such exceptionally poor work.
7. Etymology: from Middle French tanter, a variance of tenter (French tenter), from Old French tempter, tenter, "to tempt, to put to the test"; from Latin temptare, "to handle, to touch, to feel, to put to the test, to try", whence also Old Provençal temptar, "to touch, to feel with the fingers; to tempt, to instigate; to attempt, to try, to test, to prove".
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2. To tantalize somebody; for example, by refusing to disclose a secret: Jane was taunted and teased by her little sister who wanted to know her boyfriend’s name!
3. To aggravate someone by deriding or mocking or criticizing him or her: Tommy was very fat and so many of the kids in his class often taunted and made fun of him.
4. To harass with persistent criticism or carping: Mike’s mother always seemed to nag and to taunt him because he seldom ever cleaned up his bedroom and put his clothes where they should be.
5. To make a sarcastic, biting speech or remark: Sometimes in presidential debates, the candidates taunt their opponents with sharp and cutting statements, some of which are totally false!.
6. To reproach with sarcastic or contemptuous words; to mock; to upbraid: Because Susan made so many mistakes in the minutes she took at the business meeting, the chairman taunted and admonished her for such exceptionally poor work.
7. Etymology: from Middle French tanter, a variance of tenter (French tenter), from Old French tempter, tenter, "to tempt, to put to the test"; from Latin temptare, "to handle, to touch, to feel, to put to the test, to try", whence also Old Provençal temptar, "to touch, to feel with the fingers; to tempt, to instigate; to attempt, to try, to test, to prove".