Synonyms

bother

American

[both-er] / ˈbɒð ər /

verb (used with object)

to annoy; give trouble to; pester.

His little sister kept bothering him for candy.
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
to bewilder; confuse.

His inability to understand the joke bothered him.

verb (used without object)

to take the trouble; trouble or inconvenience oneself.

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

noun

something troublesome, burdensome, or annoying.

Doing the laundry every week can be a terrible bother.
effort, work, or worry.

Gardening takes more bother than it's worth.
a worried or perplexed state.

Don't get into such a bother about small matters.
someone or something that bothers or annoys.

My cousin is a perpetual bother to me.

interjection

Chiefly British. (used to express mild irritation.)

bother British

/ ˈbɒðə /

verb

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

his bad leg is bothering him again
(tr) to trouble (a person) by repeatedly disturbing; pester

stop bothering your father!
(intr) to take the time or trouble; concern oneself

don't bother to come with me
(tr) to make (a person) alarmed or confused

the thought of her husband's return clearly bothered her

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

a state of worry, trouble, or confusion
a person or thing that causes fuss, trouble, or annoyance
informal a disturbance or fight; trouble (esp in the phrase a spot of bother )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

interjection

an exclamation of slight annoyance

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

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.

Other Word Forms

unbothered adjective
unbothering adjective

Etymology

Origin of bother

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. )

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.

She said it was "so lovely that anybody would bother to come up and chew the cud with you for a while"

From BBC

England got a send-off all right, resounding boos greeting the final whistle before the players went around applauding thousands of empty red seats and the few fans who had bothered to stay.

From BBC

But on he drove, ignoring or not bothering to worry about the looks she threw at him filled with confusion and curiosity.

From Literature

I don’t bother telling her that I’ve also been waiting for Dad to come to one of my events.

From Literature

I will not lie to you and say it did not bother Clare, being called a monster.

From Literature

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023