harass
Plural: harasses
Verb
Verb Forms: harassed, harassing, harasses
- To bother or annoy someone persistently.
- annoy continually or chronically
- "This man harasses his female co-workers"
- exhaust by attacking repeatedly
- "harass the enemy"
- To annoy (someone) frequently or systematically; to pester.
- To annoy (someone) frequently or systematically; to pester.
- To persistently bother (someone, or a group of people) physically or psychologically when such behaviour is illegal and/or unwanted, especially over an extended period.
- To put excessive burdens upon (someone); to subject (someone) to anxieties.
- To trouble (someone, or a group of people) through repeated military-style attacks.
- Often followed by out: to fatigue or tire (someone) with exhausting and repeated efforts.
Noun
- Harassment; pestering.
Examples
- Opponents often try to harass each other by blocking valuable scoring squares.
- To harass good people is no different than speaking ill of them.
Origin / Etymology
The verb is derived from Middle French, Old French harasser (“to exhaust, tire out, wear out; to harry, torment, vex”) (modern French harasser (“to exhaust, tire out, wear out”)), possibly from Old French harer (“to set a dog on”), from Frankish *hara (“here, hither”) (a command for a dog to attack), from Proto-Germanic *hē₂r (“here, in this place”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱe (“here; this”) + *ís (“the (person or thing just named)”) + *-r.
The noun is derived from the verb.
Synonyms
beset, chevvy, chevy, chivvy, chivy, harry, hassle, molest, plague, provoke, afflict, aggrieve, atray, badger, bait, bedevil, beleaguer, bug, cag, distress, engrieve, give someone grief, grame, harass, harrow, hound, persecute, pester, pick at, rend, torment, trouble, vex, wring
Scrabble Score: 9
harass: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Wordharass: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
harass: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary