harry
verb (used with object)
to harass, agitate, or trouble by or as if by repeated attacks; beleaguer.
harry
1 American
[har-ee]
/ ˈhær i /
verb (used with object)
-
harries,
present (3rd person singular)
-
harried,
past participle, past
-
harrying
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
harries,
present (3rd person singular)
-
harried,
past participle, past
-
harrying
present participle
Harry
2
American
[har-ee]
/ ˈhær i /
noun
harry
British
/ ˈhærɪ /
verb
-
(tr) to harass; worry
-
to ravage (a town, etc), esp in war
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
harrysimple
-
harriessimple
-
have harriedperfect
-
has harriedperfect
-
am harryingprogressive
-
are harryingprogressive
-
is harryingprogressive
-
have been harryingperfect progressive
-
has been harryingperfect progressive
Past
-
harriedsimple
-
had harriedperfect
-
was harryingprogressive
-
were harryingprogressive
-
had been harryingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of harry
First recorded before 900; Middle English herien, Old English her(g)ian (derivative of here “army”); cognate with German verheeren, Old Norse herja “to harry, lay waste”
Explanation
When one army sends raiding parties into another's territory, they're harrying them. They're not making an all-out attack, they're just trying to bother and distract the other army. Although harry is not a word you hear commonly now, it does frequently occur as harried — which is an adjective used to describe what it feels like to be asked for things from all sides. You might feel harried during final exams, or two days before Christmas, if you haven't yet started your shopping.
Vocabulary lists containing harry
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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.
See Examples For:
Kounde cleared off the line and Garcia tipped Fernandez's near-post drive away as Espanyol continued to harry Flick's side.
From Barron's ● Jan. 3, 2026
Ukraine has long used domestically produced weapons, such as drones, to harry Russia with strikes that sometimes target Moscow itself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 18, 2024
Blackthorne is part of a small fleet commissioned by England to find the mysterious and very wealthy island of Japan, and harry any Catholic forces along the way.
From New York Times ● Feb. 27, 2024
Leclerc judged the restart beautifully, while Verstappen's attempt to harry Leclerc before he bolted from the last corner backfired and he came under pressure from Sainz.
From BBC ● Mar. 20, 2022
"You are young. Other wars will come, and you shall do your great deeds. For now, we are commanded to harry the Stony Shore."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Harry, Albert, and Jack Warner purchased Looney Tunes in the 1940s just as the cartoon franchise was entering its prime.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
Prince Harry, his wife Meghan and their two children landed Wednesday in Britain, UK media reported, after the shock news emerged last week they would be relocating from the United States.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Prince Harry, Meghan and their children Archie and Lilibet are believed to be flying into the country privately from California.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
Harry and Meghan met the king in July, during a brief British visit -- the first time in four years the couple's children had met their grandfather.
From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026
Pulling his arm back as Harry got in, Chitto was glad he’d showered.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
In the book, she’s a paper-thin virtual idol, whom Wade stalks and harries for attention.
From The Guardian ● Mar. 28, 2018
He hustles and harries various Chelsea defenders in quick succession as they pass the ball out from the back, no doubt knackering himself out in the process.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 12, 2017
Nelson harries the French fleet in the Mediterranean.
From BBC ● Nov. 21, 2014
He harries attacking midfielders, breaks up passes, and clogs space.
From Slate ● Jun. 17, 2014
He harries the ports of the Hollyhocks, And levies on poor Sweetbrier; He drinks the whitest wine of Phlox, And the Rose is his desire.
From Songs from Vagabondia by Richard Hovey
Initially, Joe and Angela don’t look so different from the pictures of couples we’ve seen before: harried and married, dead when they wed.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
Featuring a built-in biometric sensor based on heart rate, these blackout sleep goggles are meant to help relax even the most harried dad.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Igor Jesus hit his own bar, Richarlison pressed and harried and Mathys Tel produced one of his better displays.
From BBC ● Mar. 22, 2026
As the harried solo parent of a sick child, Byrne lets the camera zoom in so close to her character’s insecurities that the audience breaks out in a cold sweat.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
Raj never looked cross or harried, or plump as she had become after the first baby.
From "Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri
PGE would eventually shutter Trojan after decades of regulatory violations, forced shutdowns, construction flaws, costly repairs and constant harrying from antinuclear activist Lloyd Marbet through the state council.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2025
According to a reporter’s intrepid Freedom of Information Act inquiries, enthusiastic pickleball ambassadors are employing the “USA Pickleball tool kit” and harrying local park departments to elbow out their tennis-and-basketball-playing neighbors.
From Slate ● Dec. 7, 2023
Mainz had defended well up to then, frustrating the visitors with persistent harrying and it looked like Lee Jae-sung’s first-half header was going to be enough to win the game.
From Washington Times ● Aug. 27, 2023
The weakness of the empires to the north would have been seen as a clear opportunity for the raiders who had long supported themselves by harrying the frontiers.
From Textbooks ● Apr. 19, 2023
"So long as the harrying is done, what does it matter? No priest could do what I mean to, nor what I ask of you. I have a task that only Dagmer Cleftjaw can accomplish."
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
