pester

1530–40; perhaps aphetic variant of empester,impester to tangle, encumber (though pester is found earlier than these 2 words) <Middle French empestrer to hobble, entangle <Vulgar Latin *impāstōriāre to hobble, equivalent to im-im-¹ + pāstōri(a) a hobble, noun use of Latin pāstōrius of a herdsman or shepherd + -āre infinitive suffix (see pastor); aphetic form apparently reinforced by pest (cf. -er⁶)

OTHER WORDS FROM pester

pes·ter·er, nounpes·ter·ing·ly, adverbpes·ter·some, adjectiveun·pes·tered, adjective

Words nearby pester

pessimist, pessimistic, Pessoa, pest, Pestalozzi, pester, pester power, pesthole, pesthouse, pesticide, pestiferous

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use pester in a sentence

Bauer has pestered women who challenge him on Twitter, a habit made more noticeable by the fact that he has not handled male critics on the platform so pointedly.
Trevor Bauer, unorthodox star with an unorthodox deal, gets an unorthodox Dodgers intro|Chelsea Janes|February 12, 2021|Washington Post
Given how quickly I was wolfing books down, I didn’t want to pester my parents to drive me there every other day.
Five Scientists on the Heroes Who Changed Their Lives - Issue 93: Forerunners|Alan Lightman, Hope Jahren, Robert Sapolsky,|December 2, 2020|Nautilus
We just understood this as another tool to pester with our living situation.
Podcast: Facial recognition is quietly being used to control access to housing and social services|Tate Ryan-Mosley|December 2, 2020|MIT Technology Review
“The question of what determines biological diversity has pestered evolutionary biologists ever since Wallace and Darwin came up with their theory of evolution,” Salzburger said.
New Fish Data Reveal How Evolutionary Bursts Create Species|Elena Renken|December 1, 2020|Quanta Magazine

This acceleration in bee-pestered plants is not entirely a surprise.
Bumblebees may bite leaves to spur plant blooming|Susan Milius|July 2, 2020|Science News For Students
And resist the urge to probe or pester for reassuring answers.
Zodiac Beast: May 1-7|Starsky + Cox|April 30, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Do not continually pester either your companion or the conductor with questions, such as "Where are we now?"
The Ladies' Book of Etiquette, and Manual of Politeness|Florence Hartley
Do you want me to pester every office in the government with new inquiries?
Paul Patoff|F. Marion Crawford
The Landhofmeisterin continued to pester the Duke to convey her to Frankfort.
A German Pompadour|Marie Hay
"No fear, with my old woman to pester me," answered Richard, with a grim relaxing of his features.
For John's Sake|Annie Frances Perram
The next year he became editor-in-chief to the "Pester Lloyd," raising that paper to a high level of excellence.
Some Jewish Witnesses For Christ|Rev. A. Bernstein, B.D.

British Dictionary definitions for pester

pester

/ (ˈpɛstə) /

verb

(tr) to annoy or nag continually

Derived forms of pester

pesterer, nounpesteringly, adverb

Word Origin for pester

C16: from Old French empestrer to hobble (a horse), from Vulgar Latin impāstōriāre (unattested) to use a hobble, from pāstōria (unattested) a hobble, from Latin pāstōrius relating to a herdsman, from pastor herdsman

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

pester

OTHER WORDS FOR pester

OPPOSITES FOR pester

Origin of pester

OTHER WORDS FROM pester

Words nearby pester

Words related to pester

How to use pester in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for pester

Derived forms of pester

Word Origin for pester