hassle
Americannoun
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a prolonged argument; wrangle
-
a great deal of trouble; difficulty; nuisance
verb
-
(intr) to quarrel or wrangle
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(tr) to cause annoyance or trouble to (someone); harass
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
hasslesimple
-
hasslessimple
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have hassledperfect
-
has hassledperfect
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am hasslingprogressive
-
are hasslingprogressive
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is hasslingprogressive
-
have been hasslingperfect progressive
-
has been hasslingperfect progressive
Past
-
hassledsimple
-
had hassledperfect
-
was hasslingprogressive
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were hasslingprogressive
-
had been hasslingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hassle
First recorded in 1935–40; origin uncertain
Explanation
Something that is bothersome or annoying can be called a hassle. It's a huge hassle to go back to the grocery store after unloading fifteen bags and realizing you forgot milk. The noun hassle can also refer to an argument or a scuffle. If you get into a hassle at school, you're likely to be called into the principal's office. As a verb, hassle means to annoy or harass repeatedly or chronically. If a bully is constantly hassling you, you should report them.
Vocabulary lists containing hassle
Ghost
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The Skin I'm In
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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:
The IRS recently eased some of the hassle for donors when it clarified they do not have to file a gift tax return reporting the donation.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
For first-time guests Ty Birtles and his girlfriend, the security protocol wasn’t really a hassle; it was easy to get in.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
As a lawful permanent resident, or LPR, Lau would typically be let into the country without hassle, deemed “already admitted” rather than “seeking admission.”
From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026
But it’s a hassle that seniors and their families shouldn’t have to navigate at a vulnerable time, some experts say.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
“It’s yours. And not a trade for the room. I bought it, but Mom’s paying the monthly plan. It’s too much of a hassle to return it now.”
From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali
The airport, Transportation Security Administration and bus operator Landline are testing a first-of-its-kind remote check-in and security-screening program for travelers who want to cut down on airport hassles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
Keep me posted on any World Cup-related travel hassles at [email protected].
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Javier Pérez came with his family for the opener and told the BBC that the excitement now outweighs any hassles experienced up to this point.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
It’s not the hassles and aggravation that most people put up with.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2026
Daily travel was freed from the hassles of rail schedules, the needs of other passengers, and the location of trolley stops.
From "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" by Eric Schlosser
Despite his well-known opposition to the ballot measure, no one hassled him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
Among Lexie Manion’s memories of her junior year of high school in New Jersey was the experience of being regularly hassled by a school nurse who was trying to weigh her.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2024
But he also said he was tired of the Paterson police, of being worried he was going to be arrested or hassled.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 29, 2024
Though it’s relatively safe, and people are kind, he sometimes feels hassled by deputies who tell him where he can and cannot linger.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2024
“You already hassled me about the tights this morning, Mira.”
From "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead
Su’s buyers, who include many of America’s biggest retailers, have largely stopped hassling him to shift more production from China, in part because they recognize the efficiency of Chinese manufacturing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
A few months ago, it would have been hard to fathom federal authorities hassling Tesla over pretty much anything.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2025
He played a crucial part in Che Adams' second goal, following his man and hassling him before pinching the ball and laying it to the striker to finish.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2025
Prior to the arrest, she had been hassling patrons at local businesses along the highway and told shoppers at Circle K that she had been robbed, Johnson told the Mail.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2024
I don’t remember if I’d been hassling him before she left the room or what.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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.
