worry

[ wur-ee, wuhr-ee ]
See synonyms for: worryworriedworriesworrying on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),wor·ried, wor·ry·ing.
  1. to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret.

  2. to move with effort: an old car worrying uphill.

verb (used with object),wor·ried, wor·ry·ing.
  1. to torment with cares, anxieties, etc.; trouble; plague.

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

  1. to harass by repeated biting, snapping, etc.

noun,plural wor·ries.
  1. a worried condition or feeling; uneasiness or anxiety.

  2. a cause of uneasiness or anxiety; trouble.

  1. the act of worrying.

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

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

Idioms about worry

  1. no worries, Informal. : Also not to worry .

    • 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!

Origin of worry

1
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 for worry

Other words from worry

  • wor·ri·er, noun
  • wor·ri·less, adjective
  • wor·ry·ing·ly, adverb

Words Nearby worry

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use worry in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for worry

worry

/ (ˈwʌrɪ) /


verb-ries, -rying or -ried
  1. to be or cause to be anxious or uneasy, esp about something uncertain or potentially dangerous

  2. (tr) to disturb the peace of mind of; bother: don't worry me with trivialities

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

  2. (intr often foll by away) to struggle or work: to worry away at a problem

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

  4. (when intr, foll by at) to bite, tear, or gnaw (at) with the teeth: a dog worrying a bone

  5. (tr) to move as specified, esp by repeated pushes: they worried the log into the river

  6. (tr) to touch or poke repeatedly and idly

  7. obsolete to choke or cause to choke

  8. not to worry informal you need not worry

nounplural -ries
  1. a state or feeling of anxiety

  2. a person or thing that causes anxiety

  1. an act of worrying

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

Origin of worry

1
Old English wyrgan; related to Old Frisian wergia to kill, Old High German wurgen (German (er) würgen to strangle), Old Norse virgill, urga rope

Derived forms of worry

  • worrying, adjective
  • worryingly, adverb

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