- present participle of tease.
teasing
Americannoun
-
the act of persistently annoying someone, especially playfully and with silly jokes about them.
Most holidays, we all manage to squeeze in at Grandma’s and enjoy a crazy day full of laughter, teasing, eating, and sharing.
-
the act of bullying, harassing, or tormenting someone.
Many students with learning disabilities suffer the frustration of low achievement and the teasing and poor self-image that come with it.
-
the act of purposely exciting, tantalizing, or sexually arousing someone without providing subsequent gratification.
She smiled over her shoulder at him, brown eyes shiny with teasing.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of teasing
First recorded in 1585–95; teas(e) ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun senses; teas(e) ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective sense
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:
They have hit the ground running, with Kylian Mbappe in impeccable form and Michael Olise at his teasing best.
From BBC ● Jun. 28, 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
Abrams took to Instagram to share her upcoming tour dates, teasing fans with the caption, “we’re baaaaaack.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026
Their rapid run up has also at times forced state insurance commissioners to moonlight as forensic accountants, teasing out company relationships.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 26, 2026
And the way she goes from teasing and joking to sudden seriousness.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
But her teasings – like her reminders of Jennifer Lawrence’s struggles with the forces of gravity — were generally light and pleasantly show-bizzy.
From Salon ● Mar. 3, 2014
Dr. Aicadre accepts his invalidism with bitter fatalism; the only things that are insupportable are the teasings of Madame Teterger's idiot son, who hates him. and the starvation rations given to his pet dog Bobbee.
From Time Magazine Archive
Occasionally he succeeded; but I always escaped with ease, because I chose for my teasings only days when it had rained a short time before.
From The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries, Volume 12 by Various
I tormented the family by persistent teasings to go somewhere, or to do something.
From Confessions of Boyhood by Albee, John
Dan searched his memory, found therein inscribed a number of snubs, rebuffs, and teasings, but nothing worthy of the thanks so sweetly offered.
From A College Girl by Groome, William H. C.
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.
