teaser

American  

[tee-zer] / ˈti zər /

noun

• teasers
  plural

1. a person or thing that teases.

2. an advertisement that lures customers or clients by offering a bonus, gift, or the like.

3. 1. Also called tease, teaser ad. Television. a short, impressionistic image, promotional video, or audio spot that reveals very little about the product or company being advertised and is presented to generate interest in advance of the primary advertising campaign.

   2. Also called teaser trailer, trailer tease. Movies. a short, edited promotional video to generate interest in an upcoming film and announce its release date: a teaser is a forerunner to full-length trailers for the film that feature highlights and are shown closer to the film’s distribution date.

   3. Also called bumper tease. Television. bumper.

4. Informal. tease.

5. Theater. a drapery or flat piece across the top of the proscenium arch that masks the flies and that, together with the tormentors, forms a frame for the stage opening.

6. Printing, Journalism. kicker.

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teaser British  

/ ˈtiːzə /

noun

1. a person who teases

2. a preliminary advertisement in a campaign that attracts attention by making people curious to know what product is being advertised

3. a difficult question

4. vet science a vasectomized male animal, such as an ox, used to detect oestrus in females

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• teasers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of teaser

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English teser “machine for teasing wool”; see tease, -er ¹

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Explanation

The nearly impossible puzzle your math teacher gives for extra credit can be called a teaser — a tricky problem to solve. A mystifying problem is one kind of teaser — another is a person who loves to tease. Your nose-grabbing, practical joking uncle is a teaser, especially if he enjoys gently mocking or making fun of you. Yet another teaser is the kind that opens a TV show — sort of a sneak preview of the story to come. This is closest to the original meaning of teaser, from 1934, "an introductory advertisement or sample."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

teaser teasers

The Manchester rockers released the 23-second teaser on their social media accounts, showing two boys in what appears to be a Scottish chip shop.

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026

Thursday night’s game should offer a teaser of what Herbert and the Chargers’ offense are capable of.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

Even a teaser from “The Bluey Movie” elicited screams from the largely adult audience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026

“No humans were harmed during the making of this program” could be the teaser to “World’s Biggest Sharks,” though leading with a low mortality rate wouldn’t be ideal for the “Sharkfest” brand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

“They were making loans to lower-income people at a teaser rate when they knew they couldn’t afford to pay the go-to rate,” said Eisman.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

After weeks of posting teasers on social media and underneath the Manchester sky, Oasis have confirmed a second leg of their smash hit reunion tour for summer 2027.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

Historical brain teasers: Do you know which pharaoh the Great Pyramid of Giza was constructed for?

From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026

The countdown was also featured in the previous “Doomsday” teasers spotlighting Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers and Chris Hemsworth’s Thor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 6, 2026

“Forensic Files stories” are told in a taut 22 minutes without teasers and repetition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 11, 2025

So no one saw the teasers for the nightly news or watched the news that evening.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

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