annoy
Americanverb (used with object)
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annoys,
present (3rd person singular)
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annoyed,
past participle, past
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annoying
present participle
verb (used without object)
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annoys,
present (3rd person singular)
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annoyed,
past participle, past
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annoying
present participle
noun
verb
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to irritate or displease
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to harass with repeated attacks
Usage
What does annoy mean? Annoy means to bother or irritate. The word implies that the resulting irritation does not rise to the level of serious harm or a major problem—even if someone or something annoys you very much. People usually annoy through some kind of irritating and unwanted behavior (especially when it’s repeated), such as chewing too loudly or asking you the same question over and over again. Things that annoy are often those that distract, interrupt, or intrude on what you’re trying to do, like a noise that keeps waking you up when you’re trying to fall asleep or a pop-up ad. Someone who is bothered in this way can be described as annoyed. Someone or something that annoys you can be described as annoying. Someone or something that annoys you can be called an annoyance. Less commonly, annoy means to harass. In this case, the results are more serious than the more common meaning of annoy. Example: Mom, Jeff is trying to annoy me again! He keeps humming!
Synonym Usage
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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annoysimple
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annoyssimple
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have annoyedperfect
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has annoyedperfect
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am annoyingprogressive
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are annoyingprogressive
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is annoyingprogressive
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have been annoyingperfect progressive
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has been annoyingperfect progressive
Past
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annoyedsimple
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had annoyedperfect
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was annoyingprogressive
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were annoyingprogressive
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had been annoyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of annoy
First recorded in 1250–1300; (for the verb) Middle English an(n)oien, enoien, from Anglo-French, Old French anoier, anuier “to molest, harm, tire,” from Late Latin inodiāre “to cause aversion,” from Latin phrase (mihi) in odiō (est) “I dislike,” literally, “(it is) in hate (to me)”; cf. in- 2, odium; (for the noun) Middle English a(n)noi, ennoi, from Anglo-French, Old French a(n)nui, enui, derivative of the verb ( cf. ennui ( def. ))
Explanation
The verb annoy means to bother or irritate. Your habit of constantly talking about your cats might annoy your friends more than you realize. When you annoy someone, you really rub them the wrong way. Often, the things that annoy people the most are those that are repeated again and again, like your habit of snorting every time you laugh or the screeching sound that your dishwasher makes day after day. Although the word annoy comes from the Latin phrase esse in odio, "it is hateful to me," its meaning now is less "hateful" and more "bothersome."
Vocabulary lists containing annoy
Beowulf vocabulary
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The Sound and the Fury: Synonyms for "Anger"
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Anger (verb)
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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:
He traced this instinct to challenge those systems back to Socrates’ “gadfly” — the person whose job was to annoy power.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026
One surefire way to annoy a troll is to call their efforts for attention an “obsession.”
From Salon ● Jun. 25, 2026
"We're a bunch of oldies, but everyone gets stressed, everyone suffers loss and gets sad, everyone's happy, everyone has people in their life they love and people who annoy them," Forte said.
From Barron's ● May 20, 2026
"I'm scared of their patrols, worried that if I wear something too bright it might annoy them."
From BBC ● Mar. 16, 2026
I don’t care if they annoy you or not.’
From "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers
That is the kind of talk that annoys Meyer, who noted the San Diego Padres used to take from the revenue-sharing fund and now pay into it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2026
Pay the extra money to fix the patio if it annoys you, and let go of your frustration around the guy who did not do the job properly.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 17, 2026
"The three-putt on 18 stings, annoys me, but I started the day with a two-shot lead and ended with a three, so that's a positive," he said.
From BBC ● Mar. 14, 2026
Other topics we look at include the growing health risk for people under 55, family money meetings and the corporate jargon that annoys you most.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 28, 2026
That's something that annoys hell out of me--I mean if somebody says the coffee's all ready and it isn't.
From "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger
The show became cult viewing in Australia - and the team reformed to tour the country in 2005 - but the BBC never repeated it in the UK, something that annoyed the three performers.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
“It always annoyed me slightly that people were like, ‘Oh, this is so unrealistic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
In the memo, Blume insisted leaks to the media had been unplanned and said that reports of looming cuts had "annoyed" him.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
Mehr Anand, a 21-year-old rising senior at Northeastern University in Boston, used to be annoyed that professors prohibited him from using AI in his beginner classes.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026
I can tell she’s annoyed at him for fussing over her.
From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila
It’s the most annoying way to unlock your iPhone.
From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026
“But I got so oppressively excited in my 20s that I started annoying people. My lesson was walk it back.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Here’s how I learned to stop taking it personally — along with tips I’ve picked up for working in harmony with a manager you find annoying.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
He told Sky News he found the whole thing "really stupid" and "annoying" as well as historically inaccurate.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
One of the most annoying things about my sister is how difficult it is to stay angry with her.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
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.
