bother

[both-er]

verb (used with object)

1. to annoy; give trouble to; pester.

   His little sister kept bothering him for candy.

2. to cause unease, anxiety, or worry in (someone).

   I hadn't realized how much being in a small boat bothers me until we got into choppy waters.

   Synonyms: disturb, molest, irritate, vex, harass

3. to bewilder; confuse.

   His inability to understand the joke bothered him.

verb (used without object)

1. to take the trouble; trouble or inconvenience oneself.

   Don't bother to call. He has no time to bother with trifles.

noun

1. something troublesome, burdensome, or annoying.

   Doing the laundry every week can be a terrible bother.

2. effort, work, or worry.

   Gardening takes more bother than it's worth.

3. a worried or perplexed state.

   Don't get into such a bother about small matters.

4. someone or something that bothers or annoys.

   My cousin is a perpetual bother to me.

interjection

1. Chiefly British.,  (used to express mild irritation.)

bother

/ ˈbɒðə /

verb

1. (tr) to give annoyance, pain, or trouble to; irritate

   his bad leg is bothering him again

2. (tr) to trouble (a person) by repeatedly disturbing; pester

   stop bothering your father!

3. (intr) to take the time or trouble; concern oneself

   don't bother to come with me

4. (tr) to make (a person) alarmed or confused

   the thought of her husband's return clearly bothered her

noun

1. a state of worry, trouble, or confusion

2. a person or thing that causes fuss, trouble, or annoyance

3. informal,  a disturbance or fight; trouble (esp in the phrase a spot of bother )

interjection

1. an exclamation of slight annoyance

Other Word Forms

• unbothered adjective
• unbothering adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bother¹

First recorded in 1710–20; origin obscure; originally Hiberno-English; perhaps a hypercorrection of bodder, an alternative early form; perhaps a variant of pother ( def. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of bother¹

C18: perhaps from Irish Gaelic bodhar deaf, vexed; compare Irish Gaelic buairim I vex

Synonym Study

Bother, annoy, plague, tease imply persistent interference with one's comfort or peace of mind. Bother suggests causing trouble or weariness or repeatedly interrupting in the midst of pressing duties. To annoy is to vex or irritate by bothering. Plague is a strong word, connoting unremitting annoyance and harassment. To tease is to provoke or irritate persistently with petty distractions.

Example Sentences

He doesn’t even bother to look up from his phone—probably too busy reading about how to legally adopt an athlete, a politician, or some other person as extraordinary as he is.

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Truly, travel was a great bother and a great expense, and it was no wonder most people preferred staying at home.

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“Oh, cake’s an awful bother. A plate of buttered toast and sugar will be more than enough.”

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Penelope did not bother to explain that the Incorrigibles were more than capable of catching their own meals and would probably prefer to eat them uncooked, rather than roasted on a spit.

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The truth was, Penelope had not bothered to open the last packet of hair poultice that Miss Mortimer had sent.

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Related Words

• aggravate 
• alarm 
• bore 
• disgust 
• dismay 
• disturb 
• embarrass 
• exacerbate 
• hinder 
• hurt 
• irk 
• irritate 
• nag 
• perplex 
• perturb 
• plague 
• scare 
• torment 
• trouble 
• upset