teasing

[tee-zing]

noun

1. 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.

2. 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.

3. 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

1. harassing, tantalizing, or playfully annoying someone in any of these ways.

   In answer to my eager question, they shrugged a teasing “maybe.”

   Lisa turns 20 next month and her mother is already sending her teasing texts featuring grandma emojis.

Other Word Forms

• teasingly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of teasing¹

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

The NBA’s all-time leading scorer also included a video clip teasing “The Second Decision,” a reference to 2010’s “The Decision,” in which James famously announced his intention to play for the Miami Heat.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“We have a large family so when we’re together, it’s all about love and laughter and teasing each other.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

After teasing an announcement on social media, Elon Musk’s electric-vehicle maker unveiled a “standard” Model 3 and Model Y that lack features such as wraparound ambient lighting and power-adjusted steering wheels.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

She adds she was enjoying teasing Corden, but then he took it badly and said "just forget it, I'm going to Benidorm".

Read more on BBC

Instead, she said, she did “some light teasing” about the way she and Gomez used to dress when they met as teenagers in 2008.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• irritating 
• joking 
• mocking