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
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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
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has hassledperfect
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am hasslingprogressive
-
are hasslingprogressive
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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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The Skin I'm In
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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:
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
As a lawful permanent resident, or LPR, Lau would typically be let into the country without hassle, deemed “already admitted” rather than “seeking admission.”
From Slate ● Jun. 23, 2026
But the hassle can make it feel like a couple of thousand dollars, especially if it keeps happening.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 9, 2026
I’m standing before my friends, my classmates, and a pretty fair chunk of my town—a town I plunged into a lot of hassle with my stupid, thoughtless actions.
From "Linked" by Gordon Korman
Pricey options to escape airport hordes and hassles are multiplying as affluent travelers seek more comfort and less friction without shelling out for a private jet.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Well-heeled travelers are splurging to avoid hordes and hassles inside the terminal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Those hassles include questions about issues like gift-tax reporting and the potential for account growth to be taxable in certain states.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 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
The hall monitor hassles us, but Boy21 remembered to get a pass, so we’re okay.
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
Despite his well-known opposition to the ballot measure, no one hassled him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 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
What about the right to switch off, and not be hassled by a boss when you’re not at work?
From BBC ● May 15, 2024
But he also said he was tired of the Paterson police, of being worried he was going to be arrested or hassled.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 29, 2024
“All the times me and Jasper hassled you, it was wrong, okay? Bogus and wrong.”
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
Su’s buyers, who include many of America’s biggest retailers, have largely stopped hassling him to shift more production from China, in part because they recognize the efficiency of Chinese manufacturing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
“But he’d much rather be on set every day, meeting actors, hassling the marketing team, dealing with the studio. He just loves the job. His passion for it seems kind of endless.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2025
A few months ago, it would have been hard to fathom federal authorities hassling Tesla over pretty much anything.
From Slate ● Jun. 24, 2025
A Southern sea otter, nicknamed Otter 841, has been hassling surfers at Santa Cruz, California's Steamer Lane all summer.
From DOGO News ● Aug. 25, 2023
“What if they get suspicious and start hassling you?”
From "Flush" by Carl Hiaasen
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.
