- present participle of tease.
teasing
Americannoun
-
the act of persistently annoying someone, especially playfully and with silly jokes about them.
Most holidays, we all manage to squeeze in at Grandma’s and enjoy a crazy day full of laughter, teasing, eating, and sharing.
-
the act of bullying, harassing, or tormenting someone.
Many students with learning disabilities suffer the frustration of low achievement and the teasing and poor self-image that come with it.
-
the act of purposely exciting, tantalizing, or sexually arousing someone without providing subsequent gratification.
She smiled over her shoulder at him, brown eyes shiny with teasing.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of teasing
First recorded in 1585–95; teas(e) ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun senses; teas(e) ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective sense
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:
At some point, I complained to my mom about the teasing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
It's not hard to imagine him going toe-to-toe with battled-hardened lower-league centre forwards - despite teasing from the school reception staff.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, attending the summit as a guest, could not resist teasing Macron, an avowed fan of PSG's bitter southern rivals Olympique de Marseille.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
Abrams took to Instagram to share her upcoming tour dates, teasing fans with the caption, “we’re baaaaaack.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
Early on, both sisters sound like typical young teens, sometimes teasing and full of fun, other times bored or frustrated.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
But her teasings – like her reminders of Jennifer Lawrence’s struggles with the forces of gravity — were generally light and pleasantly show-bizzy.
From Salon ● Mar. 3, 2014
Dr. Aicadre accepts his invalidism with bitter fatalism; the only things that are insupportable are the teasings of Madame Teterger's idiot son, who hates him. and the starvation rations given to his pet dog Bobbee.
From Time Magazine Archive
But when school life began and they became exposed to the twits and teasings of their playmates there developed a shy timidity and reserve when in the presence of others.
From A Preliminary Study of the Emotion of Love between the Sexes by Bell, Sanford
Miss Clark, her form mistress, was apt to wax eloquent over her mistakes, but she took the teacher's sarcasms with the same stolidity as the girls' teasings.
From A Patriotic Schoolgirl by Salmon, Balliol
You play no jokes upon any one, you annoy no one with your teasings and nonsense, one hardly ever hears a word of fun from you.
From Riven Bonds. Vol. II. A Novel, in Two Volumes by Werner, E.
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.
