tease
Americanverb (used with object)
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teases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
teased,
past participle, past
-
teasing
present participle
-
to irritate or provoke with persistent petty distractions, trifling jests, or other annoyances, often in a playful way.
If your little sister is teasing you about your boyfriend and following you around making kissy faces, it’s because she’s jealous and wants your attention.
- Antonyms:
- mollify
-
to bully, harass, or torment.
I was teased about my lisp when I was younger.
New animals are kept isolated when they first arrive at the sanctuary to prevent the established pack from teasing or frightening them.
-
to purposely excite or sexually arouse (someone) without subsequent gratification.
Don’t tease me with vacation ideas you know we can’t afford!
She teased her fiancé with a sexy little dance even though she knew they couldn’t go all the way with a house full of guests.
-
to pull apart or separate the adhering fibers of (wool or the like), as in combing or carding; comb or card, as wool; shred.
-
to ruffle (the hair) by holding it at the ends and combing toward the scalp so as to give body to a hairdo.
-
to raise a nap on (cloth) with teasels; teasel.
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to introduce (a new product) without revealing details about it, conveying only that the product exists and will be available at a future date.
Both developers teased next generation game consoles at the expo, but neither released specs.
verb (used without object)
-
teases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
teased,
past participle, past
-
teasing
present participle
noun
-
teases
plural
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a person who teases or annoys.
-
a person who purposely excites or sexually arouses another, but then withholds gratification: All I did was set some sexual boundaries, but now he's spreading rumors that I'm a tease.
The weatherman needs to stop being such a tease with these predicted snow days.
All I did was set some sexual boundaries, but now he's spreading rumors that I'm a tease.
-
the act of teasing or the state of being teased.
-
Television. teaser.
verb phrase
verb
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to annoy (someone) by deliberately offering something with the intention of delaying or withdrawing the offer
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to arouse sexual desire in (someone) with no intention of satisfying it
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to vex (someone) maliciously or playfully, esp by ridicule
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(tr) to separate the fibres of; comb; card
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(tr) to raise the nap of (a fabric) with a teasel
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Also: backcomb. to comb the under layers of (the hair) towards the roots to give more bulk to a hairstyle
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(tr) to loosen or pull apart (biological tissues, etc) by delicate agitation or prodding with an instrument
noun
-
a person or thing that teases
-
the act of teasing
Synonym Usage
See bother.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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teasablenessnoun
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outteaseverb (used with object)
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teasableadjective
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teasingadjective
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unteasedadjective
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teasinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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teasesimple
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teasessimple
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have teasedperfect
-
has teasedperfect
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am teasingprogressive
-
are teasingprogressive
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is teasingprogressive
-
have been teasingperfect progressive
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has been teasingperfect progressive
Past
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teasedsimple
-
had teasedperfect
-
was teasingprogressive
-
were teasingprogressive
-
had been teasingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tease
First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb tese(n), teise, Old English tǣsan “to pull, tear, comb”; cognate with Middle Low German tesen, Old High German zeisan “to pluck”; the noun is derivative of the verb
Explanation
To tease is to pick on someone or to give false hope. You can tease your little sister by saying "nanny nanny boo boo" or by holding a cookie just out of her reach. Tease, a modern spelling of the Old English taesan “pluck, pull apart" is now associated with the act of harassing. You can still use tease as a verb, though, to describe the act of backcombing your hair to give it volume. But more commonly, tease refers to messing with someone. There’s an old proverb, “Patience when teased is often transformed into rage,” which means if you tease someone a lot, you might get your booty kicked!
Vocabulary lists containing tease
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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:
So it’s hard—at this summary level, at least—to tease out what’s cultural and what’s personal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
The band then posted a series of cryptic videos on their official social media channels appearing to tease gigs across the UK and Europe.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
“It’s a real challenge to try and tease out one thing out of the array of factors that undermine women’s health in these states,” said Eugene Declercq, a public health researcher at Boston University.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
Analysts use statistical techniques like linear regression to help tease this out.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
As a result of the publicity about his schooling, or lack thereof, Fischer was beginning to be thought of as a nyeculturni by the Russians, unschooled and uncultured, and they began to tease him.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
She teases much of her advice on TikTok, but most of it comes with a cost.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
Her son, Jack, 34, whom she shares with ex-husband Dennis Quaid, often teases his mom about her home renovation process and has even branded her work “Meg-anized.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
Howeth teases, will relate to some of the L.A. attraction’s character groups and themes, as well as its overall story.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
Set to a throbbing synth bassline, the song teases fans by interpolating a line from her 1980s classic Into The Groove: "Out here on the dance floor, I feel so free."
From BBC ● Apr. 15, 2026
Dad only likes won ton soup, even though sometimes Yum Li teases him: “That’s kid soup!” he tells Dad.
From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead
The Lakers teased their new defensive identity in a 127-103 preseason win against the Sacramento Kings on Monday at Golden 1 Center, rolling out their deep group of wings to overcome a short-handed bench.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
Singer-songwriter Noel Gallagher recently teased the band's 2027 return - after a year off - telling TalkSport, external: "There must be something happening."
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
He also teased tariff and ‘DOGE’ dividends last year that never came.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
The company teased the event with a countdown clock on its website.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
Redemption grinned as he teased his parent, and Whis grabbed him in a gentle headlock before letting him go.
From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
Temper those outrageous emotions, the ones the algorithms have gotten so good at teasing out of us.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026
Over the last few months, SpaceX has been teasing bigger moves in the wireless market.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
But doctors said teasing out the cancer cases at an early stage could be challenging when symptoms such as bloating are hard to distinguish from benign conditions including irritable bowel syndrome.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
The Spidey Tracker info from the “Brand New Day” post-credits scene could be teasing that’s where Spider-Man will eventually land.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
“Maybe I should lay off teasing you about that,” she said.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
