tease
verb (used with object)
to irritate or provoke with persistent petty distractions, trifling jests, or other annoyances, often in a playful way.
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.
Ecclestone, the world's top ranked ODI bowler, was in her element on the turning surface, flighting the ball teasingly, leaving the cover region vacant and luring batters into fatal drives.
From Barron's ● Oct. 11, 2025
Moreover, “Anemone” teasingly delves into a paternal legacy— the price sons pay for inheriting their fathers’ flaws—as it considers the moral thickets of Britain’s late-20th-century history.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2025
The answers are left as teasingly cryptic as the shocking outcome of that nocturnal interaction.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 2, 2025
One critic noted that "when Maggie Smith is on the screen, the picture moves," and Burton afterwards teasingly described her upstaging of him as "grand larceny."
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2024
And he started chanting joyously, teasingly, the master of his tongue again, “I love you, Dad. I love you, Dad. I love you. I love you. I love you.”
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
