teasing

American  

[tee-zing] / ˈti zɪŋ /

noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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.

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adjective

1. harassing, tantalizing, or playfully annoying someone in any of these ways.

   In answer to my eager question, they shrugged a teasing “maybe.”

   Lisa turns 20 next month and her mother is already sending her teasing texts featuring grandma emojis.

Other Word Forms

• teasingly adverb

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

When Kamala Harris’ social media accounts fired back up this week, teasing a big announcement, there were predictions, laughter and some nervous anticipation.

From Salon

“That’s teasing,” said Bat, but he was peering into the enclosure and didn’t feel very upset.

From Literature

Pa acted serious but I could tell he was teasing.

From Literature

Jeremy was sick of it all—the teasing, the punishment, the injustice.

From Literature

Carr explained that, after filming concluded on The Celebrity Traitors, he returned to work on Secret Genius, where teasing from a crew member caused him to accidentally reveal he had won.

From BBC

Related Words

• irritating
• joking
• mocking