annoy
Americanverb (used with object)
-
annoys,
present (3rd person singular)
-
annoyed,
past participle, past
-
annoying
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
annoys,
present (3rd person singular)
-
annoyed,
past participle, past
-
annoying
present participle
noun
verb
-
to irritate or displease
-
to harass with repeated attacks
Usage
What does annoy mean? Annoy means to bother or irritate. The word implies that the resulting irritation does not rise to the level of serious harm or a major problem—even if someone or something annoys you very much. People usually annoy through some kind of irritating and unwanted behavior (especially when it’s repeated), such as chewing too loudly or asking you the same question over and over again. Things that annoy are often those that distract, interrupt, or intrude on what you’re trying to do, like a noise that keeps waking you up when you’re trying to fall asleep or a pop-up ad. Someone who is bothered in this way can be described as annoyed. Someone or something that annoys you can be described as annoying. Someone or something that annoys you can be called an annoyance. Less commonly, annoy means to harass. In this case, the results are more serious than the more common meaning of annoy. Example: Mom, Jeff is trying to annoy me again! He keeps humming!
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
annoysimple
-
annoyssimple
-
have annoyedperfect
-
has annoyedperfect
-
am annoyingprogressive
-
are annoyingprogressive
-
is annoyingprogressive
-
have been annoyingperfect progressive
-
has been annoyingperfect progressive
Past
-
annoyedsimple
-
had annoyedperfect
-
was annoyingprogressive
-
were annoyingprogressive
-
had been annoyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of annoy
First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the verb) Middle English an(n)oien, enoien, from Anglo-French, Old French anoier, anuier “to molest, harm, tire,” from Late Latin inodiāre “to cause aversion,” from Latin phrase (mihi) in odiō (est) “I dislike,” literally, “(it is) in hate (to me)”; cf. in- 2, odium; (for the noun) Middle English a(n)noi, ennoi, from Anglo-French, Old French a(n)nui, enui, derivative of the verb ( cf. ennui ( def. ))
Explanation
The verb annoy means to bother or irritate. Your habit of constantly talking about your cats might annoy your friends more than you realize. When you annoy someone, you really rub them the wrong way. Often, the things that annoy people the most are those that are repeated again and again, like your habit of snorting every time you laugh or the screeching sound that your dishwasher makes day after day. Although the word annoy comes from the Latin phrase esse in odio, "it is hateful to me," its meaning now is less "hateful" and more "bothersome."
Vocabulary lists containing annoy
Beowulf vocabulary
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Anger (verb)
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The Sound and the Fury: Synonyms for "Anger"
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I’ll admit it: I often annoy my fellow humans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
Some days, these meetings annoy me so much that I want to quit.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
He traced this instinct to challenge those systems back to Socrates’ “gadfly” — the person whose job was to annoy power.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
"We're a bunch of oldies, but everyone gets stressed, everyone suffers loss and gets sad, everyone's happy, everyone has people in their life they love and people who annoy them," Forte said.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
I used my brothers to further my plan; I cracked my knuckles to annoy them.
From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan
And reacting online to the clip of Owen, another parent wrote: "Parents and potential parents do not listen to this man. Tell your kids you love them everyday, even when it annoys them."
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2026
That is the kind of talk that annoys Meyer, who noted the San Diego Padres used to take from the revenue-sharing fund and now pay into it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
Pay the extra money to fix the patio if it annoys you, and let go of your frustration around the guy who did not do the job properly.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 17, 2026
"It annoys me that I have to do that, but it's a trick that works," she says.
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026
I don’t, and it secretly annoys her no end.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
Get annoyed that breakfast had somehow become a decision I needed to make before coffee.
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
This would all be pretty underwhelming were it not for the ticketing issues instigated by the club's touting crackdown that has annoyed so many in the fanbase.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
When I was updating the instructions I use for Claude, for example, I had it review a bunch of my past chats to look for signals of when I was annoyed by an AI response.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
“You just kind of get annoyed and exhausted, because you think it’s an opportunity and it really isn’t,” she said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 5, 2026
“You get stronger with practice,” Anya said, annoyed.
From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack
Apparently, this trait is as annoying in humans as it is in AI.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026
When asked if there was nervousness about potentially annoying military chiefs, a senior Treasury source said you'd be "hard-placed to find anyone sceptical" of the idea that Healey is committed to keeping the country safe.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
This is objectively annoying, and you are not being dramatic at all.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
A better world is still possible, so long as we’re not too annoying about it.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
He thought Ezra was loud and annoying and a mean tease.
From "A Boy Called Bat" by Elana K. Arnold
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
