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
- harassable adjective
- harassed adjective
- harasser noun
- harassing adjective
- harassingly adverb
- harassment noun
- overharass verb (used with object)
- unharassed adjective
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
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.
“A hostile work environment under Title VII is one where we are being harassed so severely or pervasively as to alter our conditions of employment,” the letter said.
From Los Angeles Times
“The only reasonable inference is that the Government targeted Powell out of malice or an intent to harass.”
From Barron's
In their claim, a precursor to a lawsuit, Khimberly’s family alleges the Feb. 17 incident was not the first time their girls had been “bullied and harassed on campus.”
From Los Angeles Times
For almost four years, she has been accused of leading men on, arranging to meet and not showing up, and harassed by complete strangers.
From BBC
“For decades, the Iranian regime has harassed international shipping,” said Adm.
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.
