tease

1 of 2

verb

teased; teasing

transitive verb

1
a
: to make fun of : kid
b
: to disturb or annoy by persistent irritating or provoking especially in a petty or mischievous way
c
: to annoy with petty persistent requests : pester
also : to obtain by repeated coaxing
d
: to persuade to acquiesce especially by persistent small efforts : coax
e
: to manipulate or influence as if by teasing
2
: to comb (hair) by taking hold of a strand and pushing the short hairs toward the scalp with the comb
3
: to tantalize especially by arousing desire or curiosity often without intending to satisfy it
4
a
: to disentangle and lay parallel by combing or carding
tease wool
b
: teasel
5
: to tear in pieces
especially : to shred (a tissue or specimen) for microscopic examination
teasingly adverb

tease

2 of 2

noun

1
: the act of teasing : the state of being teased
2
: one that teases
Choose the Right Synonym for tease

worry, annoy, harass, harry, plague, pester, tease mean to disturb or irritate by persistent acts.

worry implies an incessant goading or attacking that drives one to desperation.

pursued a policy of worrying the enemy

annoy implies disturbing one's composure or peace of mind by intrusion, interference, or petty attacks.

you're doing that just to annoy me

harass implies petty persecutions or burdensome demands that exhaust one's nervous or mental power.

harassed on all sides by creditors

harry may imply heavy oppression or maltreatment.

the strikers had been harried by thugs

plague implies a painful and persistent affliction.

plagued all her life by poverty

pester stresses the repetition of petty attacks.

constantly pestered with trivial complaints

tease suggests an attempt to break down one's resistance or rouse to wrath.

children teased the dog

Examples of tease in a Sentence

Verb He and his wife enjoy teasing each other about their different tastes in music. The other children teased her because she was wearing braces. He was always teased by his brother about being short. Oh, don't get so angry. I was just teasing! The boy's mother told him to stop teasing the dog. Noun a pretty girl who has the reputation of being a bit of a tease The lower rate is just a tease to attract new customers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Kim Kardashian's daughter North West is teasing her debut album. Escher Walcott, Peoplemag, 17 Mar. 2024 Zayn teased the single on social media and during a short appearance on The Tonight Show earlier this week. Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 15 Mar. 2024 The 59-year-old is also reuniting with an old friend for a new project, as Dre’s teasing an album on the way with Snoop Dogg. Michael Saponara, Billboard, 15 Mar. 2024 This week, Spotify announced a new feature to let audiobook authors and publishers tease their new releases. Ariel Shapiro, The Verge, 15 Mar. 2024 At one point, Maya compliments the class for not teasing Abbey about her last name, Ho. Peter Debruge, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 Adolescents will play sports with greater intensity, and will incorporate playfulness into their social interactions—flirting, teasing, and developing inside jokes that bond friends together. Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024 Netflix teased everything that will go down in the episode in a new trailer released Friday. Kimi Robinson, The Enquirer, 12 Mar. 2024 Taylor Swift is teasing the Reputation (Taylor's Version) era. Jack Irvin, Peoplemag, 7 Mar. 2024
Noun
The trailer teases popping in Osaka, Japan, locking in Seoul, house in Paris, hip-hop in New York, and neuron in Gwangju, South Korea. Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 Soon, the trailer teases that the series will explore the group’s darker days. Charna Flam, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 Much of the footage simply teases, rather than directly explains the film’s plot, offering glimpses of the Native American populations that will be featured in the film and possibly a romantic storyline between Costner’s Ellison and Lee’s character. Angelique Jackson, Variety, 26 Feb. 2024 That was the first obvious tease of an eventual match between the two WWE cornerstones, with the second coming at the WrestleMania XL Kickoff press conference that sent the Internet Wrestling Community into a frenzy. Blake Oestriecher, Forbes, 24 Feb. 2024 Sadly, the movie’s best bits – and teases of what could come next – are left out in the cold by an unsatisfying spy operation. Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 31 Jan. 2024 Related article Nicole Kidman’s AMC ad is two years old, and just as beloved (and divisive) as ever In a tease of what’s to come, AMC this week shared a new version of Kidman’s familiar minute-long spot. Scottie Andrew, CNN, 29 Feb. 2024 Love’s tease of a reunion with her band Hole — which disbanded over two decades ago in 2002 and briefly got back together with a different lineup from 2009 to 2012 — was welcomed by the crowd, who erupted in cheers. Sadie Bell, Peoplemag, 28 Feb. 2024 The trailer for the upcoming three-part reunion teases that Richards will address her separation, her and Umansky’s future, and her relationship with friend and musician Morgan Wade when taking her seat on the couch with host Andy Cohen and the rest of the cast, starting on Feb. 28 at 8 p.m. Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tease.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English tesen, from Old English tǣsan; akin to Old High German zeisan to tease

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4a

Noun

1680, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tease was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near tease

Cite this Entry

“Tease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tease. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tease

1 of 2 verb
teased; teasing
1
: to untangle and lay parallel by combing or carding
tease wool
2
a
: to annoy continually : pester, torment
b
c
: to make fun of
teaser noun
teasingly adverb

tease

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: the act of teasing
b
: the state of being teased
2
: one that teases

Medical Definition

tease

transitive verb
teased; teasing
: to tear in pieces
especially : to shred (a tissue or specimen) for microscopic examination

More from Merriam-Webster on tease

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