De-ride', v. t.

v. t. [imp. & p. p. DERIDED; p. pr. & vb. n. DERIDING.] [Lat. deridere, derisum, from de and ridēre, to laugh; It. deridere.] To laugh at with contempt; to turn to ridicule or make sport of; to mock; to scoff at.

Sport that wrinkled Care derides, And Laughter holding both his sides. Milton.

Synonyms—To mock; laugh at; ridicule; insult; taunt; banter; rally.—To DERIDE, RIDICULE, MOCK, TAUNT. A man may ridicule without any unkindness of feeling: his object may be to correct; as, to ridicule the follies of the age. He who derides is actuated by a severe and contemptuous spirit; as, to deride one for his religious principles. To mock is stronger, and denotes open and scornful derision; as, to mock at sin. To taunt is to reproach with the keenest insult; as, to taunt one for his misfortunes. Ridicule consists more in words than in actions; derision and mockery evince themselves in actions as well as words; taunts are always expressed in words of extreme bitterness.