hassle
Americannoun
-
hassles
plural
verb (used without object)
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hassles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hassled,
past participle, past
-
hassling
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
hassles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hassled,
past participle, past
-
hassling
present participle
noun
-
a prolonged argument; wrangle
-
a great deal of trouble; difficulty; nuisance
verb
-
(intr) to quarrel or wrangle
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(tr) to cause annoyance or trouble to (someone); harass
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
hasslesimple
-
hasslessimple
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have hassledperfect
-
has hassledperfect
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am hasslingprogressive
-
are hasslingprogressive
-
is hasslingprogressive
-
have been hasslingperfect progressive
-
has been hasslingperfect progressive
Past
-
hassledsimple
-
had hassledperfect
-
was hasslingprogressive
-
were hasslingprogressive
-
had been hasslingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hassle
First recorded in 1935–40; origin uncertain
Explanation
Something that is bothersome or annoying can be called a hassle. It's a huge hassle to go back to the grocery store after unloading fifteen bags and realizing you forgot milk. The noun hassle can also refer to an argument or a scuffle. If you get into a hassle at school, you're likely to be called into the principal's office. As a verb, hassle means to annoy or harass repeatedly or chronically. If a bully is constantly hassling you, you should report them.
Vocabulary lists containing hassle
Ghost
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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:
We’ll tell ya, it was a real hassle getting those through the Strait of Hormuz.
From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2026
By opting for their own construction, fans say they can avoid the hassle and cost of tracking down sometimes obscure items.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
A gymnastics coach by training, Kelly was inspired to start Frosted Faces after she volunteered at local animal shelters and noticed owners turning in elderly pets because they had become too much of a hassle.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Anyone switching now shouldn't face the same hassle.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
As he reached to put the book up, I turned to leave, hoping to slip away without any hassle.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
And that’s an important warning for all investors — including the vast numbers who don’t want to take on the risks and hassles of actually gambling.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
Keep me posted on any World Cup-related travel hassles at [email protected].
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Javier Pérez came with his family for the opener and told the BBC that the excitement now outweighs any hassles experienced up to this point.
From BBC ● Jun. 11, 2026
It’s not the hassles and aggravation that most people put up with.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 15, 2026
Daily travel was freed from the hassles of rail schedules, the needs of other passengers, and the location of trolley stops.
From "Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" by Eric Schlosser
When BBC Scotland News visited, two workmen painting road markings said they had been "hassled" by locals while going about their jobs.
From BBC ● Mar. 1, 2026
Despite his well-known opposition to the ballot measure, no one hassled him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2025
Crowley has typically sidestepped questions about sexism or bullying in her own rise through the ranks, saying she had an intrinsic sense of how to deal with men who hassled her on the job.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 18, 2025
Among Lexie Manion’s memories of her junior year of high school in New Jersey was the experience of being regularly hassled by a school nurse who was trying to weigh her.
From Salon ● Aug. 1, 2024
“You already hassled me about the tights this morning, Mira.”
From "When You Reach Me" by Rebecca Stead
They’re complaining on Reddit and store sites, signing petitions to bring back the old formula and hassling customer-service chatbots, Heather Haddon reports this morning for The Wall Street Journal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
A few months ago, it would have been hard to fathom federal authorities hassling Tesla over pretty much anything.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2025
He played a crucial part in Che Adams' second goal, following his man and hassling him before pinching the ball and laying it to the striker to finish.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2025
Wild animal rehabilitation organizations claim California officials are hassling their operations after decades of cooperation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 23, 2023
“You’re just hassling me because you don’t approve of my lifestyle.”
From "Three Little Words: A Memoir" by Ashley Rhodes-Courter
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.
