(tr) to harass; worry
to ravage (a town, etc), esp in war
First recorded before 900; Middle English herien, Old English her(g)ian (derivative of here “army”); cognate with German verheeren, Old Norse herja “to harry, lay waste”
When one army sends raiding parties into another's territory, they're harrying them. They're not making an all-out attack, they're just trying to bother and distract the other army. Although harry is not a word you hear commonly now, it does frequently occur as harried — which is an adjective used to describe what it feels like to be asked for things from all sides. You might feel harried during final exams, or two days before Christmas, if you haven't yet started your shopping.
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England, a quarterfinalist in Qatar, made the final of the last two European Championships and, like Croatia, comes into this tournament with an aging core led by captain Harry Kane, England’s all-time leader in goals.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 16, 2026
Manchester United veteran Harry Maguire broke ranks before the squad was officially named to reveal he had been left out and was "shocked and gutted".
From BBC • Jun. 16, 2026
"It became pretty obvious that after talking to both Joe and Harry, that Joe was the right person to do it," McCullum said.
From BBC • Jun. 15, 2026
In February, Paramount announced its deal to buy Warner Discovery, home to HBO, CNN and Harry Potter, after a monthslong battle with Netflix.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 15, 2026
Harry followed close behind her, his Star of David necklace swinging across his chest like a pendulum.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
