tease
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to irritate or provoke with persistent petty distractions, trifling jests, or other annoyances, often in a playful way.
If your little sister is teasing you about your boyfriend and following you around making kissy faces, it’s because she’s jealous and wants your attention.
- Antonyms:
- mollify
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to bully, harass, or torment.
I was teased about my lisp when I was younger.
New animals are kept isolated when they first arrive at the sanctuary to prevent the established pack from teasing or frightening them.
-
to purposely excite or sexually arouse (someone) without subsequent gratification.
Don’t tease me with vacation ideas you know we can’t afford!
She teased her fiancé with a sexy little dance even though she knew they couldn’t go all the way with a house full of guests.
-
to pull apart or separate the adhering fibers of (wool or the like), as in combing or carding; comb or card, as wool; shred.
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to ruffle (the hair) by holding it at the ends and combing toward the scalp so as to give body to a hairdo.
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to raise a nap on (cloth) with teasels; teasel.
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to introduce (a new product) without revealing details about it, conveying only that the product exists and will be available at a future date.
Both developers teased next generation game consoles at the expo, but neither released specs.
verb (used without object)
noun
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a person who teases or annoys.
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a person who purposely excites or sexually arouses another, but then withholds gratification: All I did was set some sexual boundaries, but now he's spreading rumors that I'm a tease.
The weatherman needs to stop being such a tease with these predicted snow days.
All I did was set some sexual boundaries, but now he's spreading rumors that I'm a tease.
-
the act of teasing or the state of being teased.
-
Television. teaser.
verb phrase
verb
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to annoy (someone) by deliberately offering something with the intention of delaying or withdrawing the offer
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to arouse sexual desire in (someone) with no intention of satisfying it
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to vex (someone) maliciously or playfully, esp by ridicule
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(tr) to separate the fibres of; comb; card
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(tr) to raise the nap of (a fabric) with a teasel
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Also: backcomb. to comb the under layers of (the hair) towards the roots to give more bulk to a hairstyle
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(tr) to loosen or pull apart (biological tissues, etc) by delicate agitation or prodding with an instrument
noun
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a person or thing that teases
-
the act of teasing
Synonym Usage
See bother.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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teasablenessnoun
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outteaseverb (used with object)
-
teasableadjective
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teasingadjective
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unteasedadjective
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teasinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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teasesimple
-
teasessimple
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have teasedperfect
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has teasedperfect
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am teasingprogressive
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are teasingprogressive
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is teasingprogressive
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have been teasingperfect progressive
-
has been teasingperfect progressive
Past
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teasedsimple
-
had teasedperfect
-
was teasingprogressive
-
were teasingprogressive
-
had been teasingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tease
First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb tese(n), teise, Old English tǣsan “to pull, tear, comb”; cognate with Middle Low German tesen, Old High German zeisan “to pluck”; the noun is derivative of the verb
Explanation
To tease is to pick on someone or to give false hope. You can tease your little sister by saying "nanny nanny boo boo" or by holding a cookie just out of her reach. Tease, a modern spelling of the Old English taesan “pluck, pull apart" is now associated with the act of harassing. You can still use tease as a verb, though, to describe the act of backcombing your hair to give it volume. But more commonly, tease refers to messing with someone. There’s an old proverb, “Patience when teased is often transformed into rage,” which means if you tease someone a lot, you might get your booty kicked!
Vocabulary lists containing tease
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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:
Over the next two decades, Burns would regularly tease Greenspan over how little progress he had made writing a thesis.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
My friends sometimes tease me for being the only remaining “cool one.”
From Slate ● Jun. 13, 2026
Much like the first live-action film around the popular 1980s toyline, the new “Masters of the Universe” features a couple of post-credits scenes that tease what could come in the franchise’s future.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
Evans, for instance, can’t help himself excitedly tease a potential next Bob Baker show.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
I shrug, because he might tease me if I say yes.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
Her son, Jack, 34, whom she shares with ex-husband Dennis Quaid, often teases his mom about her home renovation process and has even branded her work “Meg-anized.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 23, 2026
But the global superstar - known for long-game teases and hidden Easter eggs that fans love to decode - has been coy on details of her wedding to American football star, Travis Kelce.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
Howeth teases, will relate to some of the L.A. attraction’s character groups and themes, as well as its overall story.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
History teases at a third possibility: Warsh succeeds as chair and still disappoints Trump.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026
Ruby leans over and says, “Shh, don’t cry, it’s okay. You don’t have to tell me anything until you’re ready. There’s a math assignment that I’m trying to avoid, so take your time,” she teases.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
The incoming prime minister's team has already teased some of the measures Burnham is expected to take in his first months in charge.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
This week, Carlson teased an interview with podcasters Joel Webbon and J.D.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
“Now whenever he tells me not to buy a piece of real estate, I buy it,” she teased.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
He separately teased an upcoming announcement about a funding pool “based on hybrid quantum and quantum computing algorithms.”
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
Nick had square glasses and dark hair, which he gelled and teased into neat spikes.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
It's not hard to imagine him going toe-to-toe with battled-hardened lower-league centre forwards - despite teasing from the school reception staff.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
The trailer also offers a glimpse into Sally and Gillian’s present lives — with the latter teasing the former’s apparent lack of love life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026
Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, attending the summit as a guest, could not resist teasing Macron, an avowed fan of PSG's bitter southern rivals Olympique de Marseille.
From Barron's ● Jun. 17, 2026
If Charles was spotted eating a bologna sandwich for lunch, you risked teasing if that’s what your mom put in your bag.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
“Maybe I should lay off teasing you about that,” she said.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
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.
