worry

[ wur-ee, wuhr-ee ]

/ ˈwɜr i, ˈwʌr i /

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See synonyms for: worry / worried / worries / worrying on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), wor·ried, wor·ry·ing.

to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret.

to move with effort: an old car worrying uphill.

verb (used with object), wor·ried, wor·ry·ing.

to torment with cares, anxieties, etc.; trouble; plague.

to seize, especially by the throat, with the teeth and shake or mangle, as one animal does another.

to harass by repeated biting, snapping, etc.

noun, plural wor·ries.

a worried condition or feeling; uneasiness or anxiety.

a cause of uneasiness or anxiety; trouble.

the act of worrying.

Fox Hunting. the action of the hounds in tearing to pieces the carcass of a fox.

Verb Phrases

worry along / through Informal. to progress or succeed by constant effort, despite difficulty: to worry through an intolerable situation.

OTHER WORDS FOR worry

3 tease, harry, hector, badger, distress.

6 apprehension, solicitude, disquiet, misgiving, fear.

See synonyms for worry on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about worry

no worries, Informal.

Don’t be worried or troubled; everything will be fine: We'll help you move your stuff, no worries!
(used as a conventional reply to thank you or thanks): Oh, no worries, it was fun having you come with us!

Also not to worry .

Origin of worry

First recorded before 900; Middle English weryen, werwen, wyrwyn “to strangle, bite, harass,” Old English wyrgan “to strangle”; cognate with German würgen

synonym study for worry

3. Worry, annoy, harass all mean to disturb or interfere with someone's comfort or peace of mind. To worry is to cause anxiety, apprehension, or care: to worry one's parents. To annoy is to vex or irritate by continued repetition of interferences: to annoy the neighbors. Harass implies long-continued disturbance, torment, or persecution: to harrass a creditor.

OTHER WORDS FROM worry

wor·ri·er, nounwor·ri·less, adjectivewor·ry·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use worry in a sentence

Isha Aran at Jezebel worries that the show “glorif[ies] the way religion can constrain people.”
Your Husband Is Definitely Gay: TLC’s Painful Portrait of Mormonism|Samantha Allen|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Big Perm worries that the lack of policing the “small fry” will lead to more crimes by “big fry.”
Ground Zero of the NYPD Slowdown|Batya Ungar-Sargon|January 1, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Cereal brings back memories of lazy mornings and easy extravagance, a time when worries were few and comfort was plenty.
Cereal Cafe’s Big Bowl of Hate|David Levesley|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And when asked whether he worries about Studio Ghibli after he and Takahata retire, Miyazaki is frank.
Anime King Hayao Miyazaki’s Cursed Dreams|Melissa Leon|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST

As the holidays approach, Hohlfelder worries that concern will further dwindle.
Millions Promised for Ebola Not Adding Up|Abby Haglage|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
That tires her awfully, and makes her fearfully cross; so that father and I keep all little worries to ourselves that we can.
Dorothy at Skyrie|Evelyn Raymond
But little distractions, irregular duties, worries, uncertainties—Jouffroy shook his head ominously.
The Daughters of Danaus|Mona Caird
If it's money that worries you, don't waste any time explaining how it happened; just tell me how much.
A Hoosier Chronicle|Meredith Nicholson
He had ceased to think of the simpler things of life, of the ordinary problems, the usual worries or likes and dislikes.
The White Desert|Courtney Ryley Cooper
And brains at their best are only a ploughed field teeming always and forever with the worries of incalculable harvests.
Molly Make-Believe|Eleanor Hallowell Abbott

British Dictionary definitions for worry

worry

/ (ˈwʌrɪ) /

verb -ries, -rying or -ried

to be or cause to be anxious or uneasy, esp about something uncertain or potentially dangerous

(tr) to disturb the peace of mind of; botherdon't worry me with trivialities

(intr; often foll by along or through) to proceed despite difficulties

(intr often foll by away) to struggle or workto worry away at a problem

(tr) (of a dog, wolf, etc) to lacerate or kill by biting, shaking, etc

(when intr, foll by at) to bite, tear, or gnaw (at) with the teetha dog worrying a bone

(tr) to move as specified, esp by repeated pushesthey worried the log into the river

(tr) to touch or poke repeatedly and idly

obsolete to choke or cause to choke

not to worry informal you need not worry

noun plural -ries

a state or feeling of anxiety

a person or thing that causes anxiety

an act of worrying

no worries informal an expression used to express agreement or to convey that something is proceeding or has proceeded satisfactorily; no problem

Derived forms of worry

worrying, adjectiveworryingly, adverb

Word Origin for worry

Old English wyrgan; related to Old Frisian wergia to kill, Old High German wurgen (German (er) würgen to strangle), Old Norse virgill, urga rope

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

worry

OTHER WORDS FOR worry

Idioms about worry

Origin of worry

synonym study for worry

OTHER WORDS FROM worry

Words related to worry

How to use worry in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for worry

Derived forms of worry

Word Origin for worry