tease

[ teez ]

/ tiz /

verb (used with object), teased, teas·ing.

to irritate or provoke with persistent petty distractions, trifling jests, or other annoyances, often playfully: If your little sister is teasing you about your boyfriend and following you around making kissy faces, it’s because she’s jealous and she wants your attention.

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.

Informal. to purposely excite or sexually arouse (someone) without subsequent gratification: Don’t tease me with vacation ideas you know we can’t afford!The bride-to-be teased her fiancé with a sexy little dance even though she knew they couldn’t go all the way with a house full of wedding 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.

to ruffle (the hair) by holding it at the ends and combing toward the scalp so as to give body to a hairdo.

to raise a nap on (cloth) with teasels; teasel.

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), teased, teas·ing.

to provoke, disturb, torment, or bully a person or animal with persistent annoyances or harassment.

noun

a person who teases or annoys.

Informal. a person who purposely excites or sexually arouses another, but then withholds gratification: 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.

Slang. teaser (def. 5a).

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.

Question 1 of 8

Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?

The Sunflower State

The Evergreen State

The Magnolia State

The Mockingbird State

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of tease

First recorded before 1000; Middle English tesen (verb), Old English tǣsan “to pull, tear, comb”; cognate with Middle Low German tesen, Old High German zeisan “to pluck”

SYNONYMS FOR tease

1 trouble, disturb, vex; harass.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR tease ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR tease

1 mollify.

SEE ANTONYMS FOR tease ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for tease

1. See bother.

OTHER WORDS FROM tease

teas·a·ble, adjectiveteas·a·ble·ness, nounteas·ing·ly, adverbout·tease, verb (used with object), out·teased, out·teas·ing.

un·teased, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for tease

After some teasing and talking, Mulvehill writes that she is “hesitant” but they start kissing.
School Shooters Love This Pickup Artist Website|Brandy Zadrozny|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The teasing is so common that is has been accepted as “the standard ginger bullying” by those who Knights has encountered.
Redheads Are Sexy, Dammit!|Justin Jones|September 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So all day I was teasing her, telling her she should change her band name to Little Bald Beth.
Norman Reedus: Daryl Doesn’t Need Romance, ‘The Walking Dead’ Isn’t About Erections|Melissa Leon|March 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Vladimir Putin draws on his background as a master spy, testing and teasing the new regime in Kiev and its backers in Washington.
Putin’s Shadow Shock Troops Roil Ukraine|Christopher Dickey|February 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The pair traveled to Penn Hills at least a dozen times over three months, teasing out the nuances and former life of the property.
A Most Illegal Adventure with New York City’s Wildest Underground Event Planners|Nina Strochlic|December 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
He was furious at the situation and at Mamise for teasing him so.
The Cup of Fury|Rupert Hughes
Gerda took her room-mates' teasing, as she took everything else at the Dower House, with little or no remonstrance.
The School by the Sea|Angela Brazil
"I think some of the girls at Zinsheimer's had been teasing him about me," she goes on.
Torchy and Vee|Sewell Ford
But for all his teasing the big boys never bullied Ned, for all of them loved his bright, intelligent face and manly ways.
Irish Ned|Samuel Fea
Teasing is not the primary cause of the tendency to conceal the emotion.
A Preliminary Study of the Emotion of Love between the Sexes|Sanford Bell

British Dictionary definitions for tease

tease

/ (tiːz) /

verb

to annoy (someone) by deliberately offering something with the intention of delaying or withdrawing the offer

to arouse sexual desire in (someone) with no intention of satisfying it

to vex (someone) maliciously or playfully, esp by ridicule

(tr) to separate the fibres of; comb; card

(tr) to raise the nap of (a fabric) with a teasel

Also: backcomb US and Canadian to comb the under layers of (the hair) towards the roots to give more bulk to a hairstyle

(tr) to loosen or pull apart (biological tissues, etc) by delicate agitation or prodding with an instrument

noun

a person or thing that teases

the act of teasing

Derived forms of tease

teasing, adjectiveteasingly, adverb

Word Origin for tease

Old English tǣsan; related to Old High German zeisan to pick

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

Medical definitions for tease

tease

[ tēz ]

v.

To separate the structural parts of a tissue, as with a needle, in order to prepare it for microscopic examination.

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

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WORD OF THE DAY

tease

verb (used with object), teased, teas·ing.

verb (used without object), teased, teas·ing.

noun

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Origin of tease

SYNONYMS FOR tease

ANTONYMS FOR tease

synonym study for tease

OTHER WORDS FROM tease

Example sentences from the Web for tease

British Dictionary definitions for tease

verb

noun

Derived forms of tease

Word Origin for tease

Medical definitions for tease

v.

MEANINGS

WORD GAMES

LEARN

WRITING

WORD OF THE DAY

tease

verb (used with object), teased, teas·ing.

verb (used without object), teased, teas·ing.

noun

QUIZZES

THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?

Origin of tease

SYNONYMS FOR tease

ANTONYMS FOR tease

synonym study for tease

OTHER WORDS FROM tease

Words related to tease

Example sentences from the Web for tease

British Dictionary definitions for tease

verb

noun

Derived forms of tease

Word Origin for tease

Medical definitions for tease

v.