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
If protesters constantly harry that effort, an accident is inevitable.
From Science Magazine ● Jan. 14, 2020
So the winds drove this wreck over the deep, East Wind and North Wind, then South Wind and West, coursing each in turn to the brutal harry.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
"Seeing evidence of this rare decay is incredibly exciting, opening up new possibilities to probe beyond the direct reach of the LHC," explained Harry Cliff, LHCb's Rare Decays Convener and Analysis Co-lead.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 10, 2026
Its production chief, Harry Cohn, saw promise in the diminutive man asking for a directing job, and his hunch paid off.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Motorists will be detoured primarily along Interstates 710 and 110, State Route 103, and Harry Bridges Boulevard.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
The likes of Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and many others are now stonewall selections but the intrigue is around the remaining few spots still seemingly up for grabs.
From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026
He liked Harry in the here and now.
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
During the summer and autumn of 1636, a Mindanao chief named Tagal harries the coasts of Cuyo and Calamianes.
That's a bitter pill to swallow for Dr Noor Mohammed, a harried young doctor.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
The Hawk fire forced the harried evacuation of more than 40,000 people.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
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
Next time, I’ll trade calm for harried and head straight for Logan.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
The harried young man jumped out of bed and ran away.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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
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