tease
Americanverb (used with object)
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teases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
teased,
past participle, past
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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
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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.
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to ruffle (the hair) by holding it at the ends and combing toward the scalp so as to give body to a hairdo.
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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)
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teases,
present (3rd person singular)
-
teased,
past participle, past
-
teasing
present participle
noun
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teases
plural
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a person who teases or annoys.
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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
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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)
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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
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has teasedperfect
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am teasingprogressive
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are teasingprogressive
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is teasingprogressive
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have been teasingperfect progressive
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has been teasingperfect progressive
Past
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teasedsimple
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had teasedperfect
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was teasingprogressive
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were teasingprogressive
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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:
“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
Analysts use statistical techniques like linear regression to help tease this out.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
Even Michael Giacchino’s energetic orchestral music is in on the heist, surging with melodies so familiar they tease us to guess which classic John Williams score inspired them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 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
The men tease him because of his name.
From "Blood on the River" by Elisa Carbone
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
But the global superstar - known for long-game teases and hidden Easter eggs that fans love to decode - has been coy on details of her wedding to American football star, Travis Kelce.
From BBC ● Jun. 5, 2026
Howeth teases, will relate to some of the L.A. attraction’s character groups and themes, as well as its overall story.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 20, 2026
And Alison is the kind of plucky heroine who teases her lover about his research: “Lost treasures, haunted priories, secret maps? I think I saw that movie once.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
While we work, Sinaloa teases me a little, but with good humor.
From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads
He also teased the friendly competition between him and his partner, actress Keri Russell, who was up for an Emmy for her role in The Diplomat this year.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
He also teased tariff and ‘DOGE’ dividends last year that never came.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
The White House released several games Thursday, with a placeholder that teased another one "coming soon."
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Artificial-intelligence giant Anthropic could raise even more in its expected offering, which is being teased to investors now alongside a bevy of smaller listings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
She was in my homeroom class and often teased me about having imitated Elvis.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
Fans were already aware that a second leg of Styles' tour was on the way, after the 32-year-old posted a note on Wednesday teasing what he called the "final" shows of the hugely-successful run.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
For the last several days, the company has been teasing a “Cybercab launch event” in its hometown of Austin, Texas.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
The company impressed Wall Street several weeks ago by teasing an improved profitability trajectory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 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 was always teasing, but this time his voice sounded sincere.
From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan
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.
