harass
Americanverb (used with object)
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to disturb or bother persistently; torment, as with troubles or cares; pester.
He stays up late, harassed with doubt and anxiety.
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to intimidate or coerce, as with persistent demands or threats.
Apparently a parent has been harassing the school principal with late-night phone calls.
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to subject to unwelcome sexual advances.
I was harassed by my boss many years ago.
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to trouble by repeated attacks, incursions, etc., as in war or hostilities; harry; raid.
verb
Pronunciation
harass , a 17th-century borrowing from French, has traditionally been pronounced in English as , with stress on the first syllable. A newer pronunciation, , has developed in North American (but not British) English and has become the more common one in the U.S., especially among younger speakers.
Related Words
See worry.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of harass
First recorded in 1610–20; from French, Middle French harasser “to harry, harass,” verbal derivative of harace, harache (in phrase courre a la harace “pursue”), equivalent to hare “cry used to urge dogs on” (from Frankish hara (unattested) “here, from this side”; compare Old High German hera, Middle Dutch hare ) + -asse augmentative or pejorative suffix, from Latin -ācea
Explanation
When you harass someone, you bother them to the point of exhaustion. It’s not that each attack is so severe, it’s the constant small attacks that wear someone out. If you harass your boss for a raise, you might end up getting fired instead! Harass probably comes from the Old French word harer meaning "to set a dog on." Think of someone being hounded when you use this word. You can harass your parents with questions or requests, but in turn, they can also harass you to clean your room! While this is annoying, it's much worse if you are harassed in the sense of being verbally abused. The bully at school who harasses some poor kid will be subject to disciplinary action if a complaint is filed.
Vocabulary lists containing harass
Beowulf vocabulary
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Excerpt from "The Declaration of Independence"
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The Autobiography of Malcolm X
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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.
Prosecutors allege the defendant, a U.S. citizen, cooperated with Beijing to harass dissidents.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 7, 2026
Otters are a protected species and it is an offence to deliberately or recklessly harass, capture, injure or kill them.
From BBC • Apr. 18, 2026
A federal judge quashed the subpoenas in March, finding no credible evidence of wrongdoing and writing that the effort appeared designed to harass Powell into resigning.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
Dick was also ordered not to harass or attempt to make contact with him in any way.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026
She explains that certain creatures are allowed to scare and harass unsuspecting people if they wander someplace generally acknowledged to be spooky—like graveyards, old abandoned mansions, dark caves, and under beds.
From "Amari and the Night Brothers" by B.B. Alston
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.
