Harry

¹ American  

[har-ee] / ˈhær i /

noun

1. a male given name, form of Harold or Henry.

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harry ² American  

[har-ee] / ˈhær i /

verb (used with object)

harried, harrying

1. to harass, agitate, or trouble by or as if by repeated attacks; beleaguer.

   He was harried by constant doubts.

   Synonyms:

   trouble, plague, molest

2. to ravage, as in war; devastate.

   The troops harried the countryside.

   Synonyms:

   pillage, rob, strip, plunder

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verb (used without object)

harried, harrying

1. to make harassing incursions.

harry British  

/ ˈhærɪ /

verb

1. (tr) to harass; worry

2. to ravage (a town, etc), esp in war

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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”

Example Sentences

After harried evacuations and tearful returns to the charred remains of the 46-unit complex, the Upper Woodies condo association formed committees to start the rebuilding process.

From The Wall Street Journal

The records depict harried disaster workers appearing to take dangerous shortcuts that could leave hazardous pollution and endanger thousands of survivors poised to return to these communities.

From Los Angeles Times

Even when a particular engagement is a disaster, the action ultimately resolves with a moral clarity almost entirely absent from the messiness of my harried world.

From The Wall Street Journal

It never feels like Brooks has a grasp on the material, which careens aimlessly through Ella’s harried day-to-day in a handsomely bland, serviceable style.

From Los Angeles Times

The 51-minute color documentary observes the imposition of strict traffic controls at a busy Tehran intersection, where a harried but strong-willed traffic official determines who may pass and who may not.

From The Wall Street Journal