Harass

Harass
Harass Har"ass (h[a^]r"as or h[.a]*r[a^]s"), v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Harassed} (h[a^]r"ast or h[.a]*r[a^]st"); p. pr. & vb. n. {Harassing}.] [F. harasser; cf. OF. harace a basket made of cords, harace, harasse,a very heavy and large shield; or harer to set (a dog) on.] To fatigue; to tire with repeated and exhausting efforts; esp., to weary by importunity, teasing, or fretting; to cause to endure excessive burdens or anxieties; -- sometimes followed by out. [1913 Webster]

[Troops] harassed with a long and wearisome march. --Bacon. [1913 Webster]

Nature oppressed and harass'd out with care. --Addison. [1913 Webster]

Vext with lawyers and harass'd with debt. --Tennyson.

Syn: To weary; jade; tire; perplex; distress; tease; worry; disquiet; chafe; gall; annoy; irritate; plague; vex; molest; trouble; disturb; torment. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу
Synonyms:
, , , , , , / , , , , , , , , , , , ,


Look at other dictionaries:

  • harass — ha·rass /hə ras, har əs/ vt [Middle French harasser to exhaust, fatigue, from harer to set a dog on, from Old French hare, interjection used to incite dogs]: to subject persistently and wrongfully to annoying, offensive, or troubling behavior a… …   Law dictionary

  • harass — harass·ing; harass·ing·ly; harass·ment; harass; …   English syllables

  • harass — UK US /ˈhærəs/, /həˈræs/ verb [T] ► to repeatedly annoy or upset someone over a period of time: »A university psychology professor has been arrested on accusations of using email to harass and torment employees at the school. be harrassed by sb… …   Financial and business terms

  • harass — ► VERB 1) torment (someone) by subjecting them to constant interference or intimidation. 2) make repeated small scale attacks on (an enemy) in order to wear down resistance. DERIVATIVES harasser noun harassment noun. USAGE The word harass is… …   English terms dictionary

  • Harass — Har ass, n. 1. Devastation; waste. [Obs.] Milton. [1913 Webster] 2. Worry; harassment. [R.] Byron. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • harass — (v.) 1610s, from Fr. harasser tire out, vex, possibly from O.Fr. harer set a dog on, and perhaps blended with O.Fr. harier to harry, draw, drag [Barnhart]. Originally to lay waste, devastate, sense of distress is from 1650s. Related: Harassed;… …   Etymology dictionary

  • harass — harry, *worry, annoy, plague, pester, tease, tantalize Analogous words: *bait, badger, hound, ride, hector, chivy, heckle: vex, irk, bother (see ANNOY) Contrasted words: *comfort, solace, console: *relieve, assuage, alleviate …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • harass — There are two pitfalls with this word meaning ‘to trouble or annoy repeatedly’ and its derivatives harassing, harassment, etc. One is the spelling, with only one r (unlike embarrass); the other is the pronunciation, which should be ha rǝs with… …   Modern English usage

  • harass — [v] badger annoy, attack, bait, bedevil, beleaguer, bother, bug*, burn*, despoil, devil*, distress, disturb, eat*, exasperate, exhaust, fatigue, foray, get to*, give a bad time*, give a hard time*, gnaw*, harry, hassle, heckle, hound*, intimidate …   New thesaurus

  • harass — [har′əs, hə ras′] vt. [Fr harasser < OFr harer, to set a dog on < hare, cry to incite dogs < OHG harēn, to call, cry out] 1. to trouble, worry, or torment, as with cares, debts, repeated questions, etc. 2. to trouble by repeated raids or …   English World dictionary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”