worry
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret.
-
to move with effort.
an old car worrying uphill.
verb (used with object)
noun
-
a worried condition or feeling; uneasiness or anxiety.
- Synonyms:
- fear, misgiving, disquiet, solicitude, apprehension
-
a cause of uneasiness or anxiety; trouble.
-
the act of worrying.
-
Fox Hunting. the action of the hounds in tearing to pieces the carcass of a fox.
verb phrase
idioms
verb
-
to be or cause to be anxious or uneasy, esp about something uncertain or potentially dangerous
-
(tr) to disturb the peace of mind of; bother
don't worry me with trivialities
-
(intr; often foll by along or through) to proceed despite difficulties
-
to struggle or work
to worry away at a problem
-
(tr) (of a dog, wolf, etc) to lacerate or kill by biting, shaking, etc
-
to bite, tear, or gnaw (at) with the teeth
a dog worrying a bone
-
(tr) to move as specified, esp by repeated pushes
they worried the log into the river
-
(tr) to touch or poke repeatedly and idly
-
obsolete to choke or cause to choke
-
informal you need not worry
noun
-
a state or feeling of anxiety
-
a person or thing that causes anxiety
-
an act of worrying
-
informal an expression used to express agreement or to convey that something is proceeding or has proceeded satisfactorily; no problem
Usage
What are other ways to say worry? The noun worry means “a worried condition or feeling.” How does worry compare to synonyms care and concern? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
Synonym Usage
Worry, annoy, harass all mean to disturb or interfere with someone's comfort or peace of mind. To worry is to cause anxiety, apprehension, or care: to worry one's parents. To annoy is to vex or irritate by continued repetition of interferences: to annoy the neighbors. Harass implies long-continued disturbance, torment, or persecution: to harrass a creditor.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
worrysimple
-
worriessimple
-
have worriedperfect
-
has worriedperfect
-
am worryingprogressive
-
are worryingprogressive
-
is worryingprogressive
-
have been worryingperfect progressive
-
has been worryingperfect progressive
Past
-
worriedsimple
-
had worriedperfect
-
was worryingprogressive
-
were worryingprogressive
-
had been worryingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of worry
First recorded before 900; Middle English weryen, werwen, wyrwyn “to strangle, bite, harass,” Old English wyrgan “to strangle”; cognate with German würgen
Explanation
The verb worry is an anxious word; it means to be concerned or nervous. If you sent your carrier pigeon out in the morning to deliver a message, you might worry if it hadn't returned by the afternoon. When you worry, you feel uneasy — the way you might worry that you've got spinach in your teeth when you're at a job interview. When it's an animal doing the worrying, it takes on a different meaning: a dog will worry a bone — or gnaw on it and play with it, for hours. The word worry comes from the Old English wyrgan, which originally meant "strangle," and changed over the years to mean first "harass," and then "cause anxiety to."
Vocabulary lists containing worry
Motherlode: A Mother's Day Lexicon
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 5
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Some users worry that relying on AI to optimize interactions sacrifices the skills needed for unscripted conversations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
There are also some charts to indicate the sectors that may provide technical havens for those who worry about further volatility but aren’t quite ready to get out of the market altogether.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 26, 2026
We needn’t worry that they are being irresponsible, though.
From Salon ● Jul. 26, 2026
“So obviously that’s disappointing because you throw a bullpen to continue to build up. So that was disappointing. But as far as worry, concern, we don’t have any of that.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
“Perhaps I cleaned too much. I worry about such things. What if I’ve made the place completely sterile? Shouldn’t a home have a bit of bacteria lying about?”
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
The positive developments eased worries about a reignition of inflation and a fresh round of interest rate hikes, in turn helping equity markets higher.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Alphabet’s results landed as Wall Street increasingly worries about the costs of the artificial-intelligence buildout.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 26, 2026
He also worries restrictive diets could carry psychological risks for adolescents, whose relationship with food is still developing.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Yampolskiy worries that the next time this happens — which it will — the consequences could be more dire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
“We probably should have talked about it more. I guess we all got caught up in our own troubles and worries, and figured talking about it wouldn’t help you at all.”
From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan
The contrasting standards vex those worried for the future of public education.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Duhamel added that he was inspired by the “Patriots” survival guide and confessed that he worried about the delicate nature of a society so tech-dependent.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026
But congestion at the privately owned bridge has long worried politicians as well as automakers that depend on a just-in-time delivery model.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
Norris will have been worried about Charles Leclerc starting alongside him on the front row.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Ma would be worried if I didn’t arrive home right away.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
Hartnett draws a worrying analogy between the constraints imposed by the disruption to oil supplies and the uninterrupted supply of both U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
This event is the latest in a string of worrying and weird examples of AI agents going rogue.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
“It was my own personal triumph over dyslexia. When I was drawing up the plans, I kept worrying that I would transpose numbers and screw it all up, but it came out great,” he explained.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Another novel might find Rose, after she decides she loves Miles so much that she wants to get pregnant, going to a doctor, getting tests, worrying about being almost 40 and what that means.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
I see Ruby shiver a little, and I’m pretty sure she’s worrying about what it would be like if she got it.
From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish
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.
