tease
Americanverb (used with object)
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teases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
teased,
past participle, past
-
teasing
present participle
-
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
-
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.
-
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.
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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)
-
teases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
teased,
past participle, past
-
teasing
present participle
noun
-
teases
plural
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a person who teases or annoys.
-
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
-
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
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teasessimple
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have teasedperfect
-
has teasedperfect
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am teasingprogressive
-
are teasingprogressive
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is teasingprogressive
-
have been teasingperfect progressive
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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:
Investors will look to “the dot plot to tease out if this is a hike or a hiking cycle,” said Paul Eitelman, global chief investment strategist at Russell Investments.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 15, 2026
“It’s a real challenge to try and tease out one thing out of the array of factors that undermine women’s health in these states,” said Eugene Declercq, a public health researcher at Boston University.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
Instead, the psychological tease convinces the player that a win is imminent, spurring them to pay for another try.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
The Turkish side took to their social media on Tuesday night to tease the arrival of Salah with the Pyramids being shown on a video next to Papara Park.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
He would tease her by telling her just how, with her and her apples gone, all the gods were frail and withered—drooling, palsied, quivering hulks, slow of thought and crippled in mind and body.
From "Norse Mythology" by Neil Gaiman
The Independent teases its new documentary on "kito" attacks in Nigeria on its front page, titled "Hunted".
From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026
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
The film’s trailer promises more political upheaval, introduces a new villain and teases Paul and Chani’s future child.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
On the way out, after one fellow diner tells Domingo he’s a fan, the actor teases another who tries to play it cool after spotting the star.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 10, 2026
“Your head feel like it’s gonna pop with all those facts stuck inside?” she teases.
From "Out of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper
As is to be expected from the Silent Hill games, the real reasons why you're there and what's going on are teased as you progress through the story in a typically vague fashion.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
He also teased tariff and ‘DOGE’ dividends last year that never came.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
HBO teased Harington’s casting on Instagram, revealing he will play Professor Gilderoy Lockhart.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2026
He quickly teased the possibility of hosting the president for an interview.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
“You’re welcome. Easy on my casting arm,” she teased.
From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry
Temper those outrageous emotions, the ones the algorithms have gotten so good at teasing out of us.
From Salon ● Oct. 15, 2026
Although he grew up in a close family in San Mateo, Calif., his three older sisters loved teasing “Little Tommy” that he was the worst athlete in the family.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Over the last few months, SpaceX has been teasing bigger moves in the wireless market.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
The Spidey Tracker info from the “Brand New Day” post-credits scene could be teasing that’s where Spider-Man will eventually land.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
He took his time making his way to the table, teasing them.
From "A Place to Belong" by Cynthia Kadohata
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
