harass
[ huh-ras, har-uhs ]
/ həˈræs, ˈhær əs /
verb (used with object)
to disturb persistently; torment, as with troubles or cares; bother continually; pester; persecute.
to trouble by repeated attacks, incursions, etc., as in war or hostilities; harry; raid.
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Nearby words
harangue, harappa, harappan, harar, harare, harasser, harassed, harassment, harbin, harbinger, harbinger-of-spring
Origin of harass
1610–20; < 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 (< Frankish *hara here, from this side; compare Old High German hera, Middle Dutch hare) + -asse augmentative or pejorative suffix < Latin -ācea
SYNONYMS FOR harass
Related forms
Pronunciation note
harass , a 17th-century French borrowing, has traditionally been pronounced [har-uhs] /ˈhær əs/, with stress on the first syllable. A newer pronunciation, [huh-ras] /həˈræs/, has developed in North American (but not British) English. While this newer pronunciation is sometimes criticized by older educated speakers, it has become the more common one in the U.S., especially among younger educated speakers, some of whom have only minimal familiarity with the older form.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for harasser
Not for the benefit of the harasser, of course, but for your own safety.
Cover-Ups and Concern Trolls: Actually, It's About Ethics in Suicide Journalism|Arthur Chu|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST“I am as far from a harasser as you could be,” she said in a phone call from her home, as her poodle mix barked in the background.
Archie Comics: Corporate Brawl Over-Sexual Harassment Charges|Nancy Hass|February 2, 2012|DAILY BEASTThe day Sarig was arrested in March, he made a countercomplaint against Smith, that it was Smith who was the harasser.
Adrian Smith, Stars' Headhunter, Accused of Harassing Lou Reed’s Manager|Diane Herbst|December 14, 2011|DAILY BEAST
British Dictionary definitions for harasser
harass
/ (ˈhærəs, həˈræs) /
verb
(tr) to trouble, torment, or confuse by continual persistent attacks, questions, etc
Derived Formsharassed, adjectiveharassing, adjective, nounharassment, noun
Word Origin for harass
C17: from French harasser, variant of Old French harer to set a dog on, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German harēn to cry out
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for harasser
harass
1610s, from French harasser "tire out, vex," possibly from Old French harer "set a dog on," and perhaps blended with Old French harier "to harry, draw, drag" [Barnhart]. Originally "to lay waste, devastate," sense of "distress" is from 1650s. Related: Harassed; harassing.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper