bother

American  

[both-er] / ˈbɒð ər /

verb (used with object)

1. to annoy; give trouble to; pester.

   His little sister kept bothering him for candy.

2. to cause unease, anxiety, or worry in (someone).

   I hadn't realized how much being in a small boat bothers me until we got into choppy waters.

   Synonyms:

   disturb, molest, irritate, vex, harass

3. to bewilder; confuse.

   His inability to understand the joke bothered him.

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verb (used without object)

1. to take the trouble; trouble or inconvenience oneself.

   Don't bother to call. He has no time to bother with trifles.

noun

1. something troublesome, burdensome, or annoying.

   Doing the laundry every week can be a terrible bother.

2. effort, work, or worry.

   Gardening takes more bother than it's worth.

3. a worried or perplexed state.

   Don't get into such a bother about small matters.

4. someone or something that bothers or annoys.

   My cousin is a perpetual bother to me.

interjection

1. Chiefly British. (used to express mild irritation.)

bother British  

/ ˈbɒðə /

verb

1. (tr) to give annoyance, pain, or trouble to; irritate

   his bad leg is bothering him again

2. (tr) to trouble (a person) by repeatedly disturbing; pester

   stop bothering your father!

3. (intr) to take the time or trouble; concern oneself

   don't bother to come with me

4. (tr) to make (a person) alarmed or confused

   the thought of her husband's return clearly bothered her

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noun

1. a state of worry, trouble, or confusion

2. a person or thing that causes fuss, trouble, or annoyance

3. informal a disturbance or fight; trouble (esp in the phrase a spot of bother )

interjection

1. an exclamation of slight annoyance

Related Words

Bother, annoy, plague, tease imply persistent interference with one's comfort or peace of mind. Bother suggests causing trouble or weariness or repeatedly interrupting in the midst of pressing duties. To annoy is to vex or irritate by bothering. Plague is a strong word, connoting unremitting annoyance and harassment. To tease is to provoke or irritate persistently with petty distractions.

Other Word Forms

• unbothered adjective
• unbothering adjective

Etymology

Origin of bother

First recorded in 1710–20; origin obscure; originally Hiberno-English; perhaps a hypercorrection of bodder, an alternative early form; perhaps a variant of pother ( def. )

Example Sentences

But if you do not need a particular seat and you are not bothered about sitting with your travel companions, you can just let the airline allocate you a place.

From BBC

The answer couldn’t simply be “clockwise”—or why bother asking?

From Literature

For years, I never bothered making smoothies at home.

From Salon

Hamilton has since claimed his remarks were taken out of context, and said he meant that Reedy was merely bothering young officers at the scene, not abusing kids.

From Los Angeles Times

“I’m sorry to bother you, Ray, but”—she turns to me—“your ride is here. We have your stuff.”

From Literature

Related Words

• aggravate
• alarm
• bore
• disgust
• dismay
• disturb
• embarrass
• exacerbate
• hinder
• hurt
• irk
• irritate
• nag
• perplex
• perturb
• plague
• scare
• torment
• trouble
• upset