Bother - Oxford Learner's Dictionaries

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Definition of bother verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

bother verb   /ˈbɒðə(r)/  /ˈbɑːðər/Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they bother	/ˈbɒðə(r)/  /ˈbɑːðər/
he / she / it bothers	/ˈbɒðəz/  /ˈbɑːðərz/
past simple bothered	/ˈbɒðəd/  /ˈbɑːðərd/
past participle bothered	/ˈbɒðəd/  /ˈbɑːðərd/
-ing form bothering	/ˈbɒðərɪŋ/  /ˈbɑːðərɪŋ/

Idioms jump to other results

1.   [intransitive, transitive] (often used in negative sentences and questions) to spend time and/or energy doing something
   • ‘Shall I wait?’ ‘No, don't bother’.
   • I don't know why I bother! Nobody ever listens!
   • If that’s all the thanks I get, I won’t bother in future!
   • bother with/about something It's not worth bothering with (= using) an umbrella—the car's just outside.
   • I don't know why you bother with that crowd (= why you spend time with them).
   • He doesn’t bother much about his appearance.
   • bother to do something He didn't even bother to let me know he was coming.
   • He hadn't even bothered to read the crucial documents.
   • Doctors never bothered to check his blood pressure.
   • bother doing something Why bother asking if you're not really interested?
   • I didn't bother trying to explain my feelings.

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2.   [transitive] to annoy, worry or upset somebody; to cause somebody trouble or pain
   • bother somebody The thing that bothers me is…
   • That sprained ankle is still bothering her (= hurting).
   • She has been bothered by a leg injury.
   • ‘I'm sorry he was so rude to you.’ ‘It doesn't bother me.’
   • bother somebody with something I don't want to bother her with my problems at the moment.
   • bother somebody that… Does it bother you that she earns more than you?
   • it bothers somebody to do something It bothers me to think of her alone in that big house.
3.   [transitive] to interrupt somebody; to talk to somebody when they do not want to talk to you
   • bother somebody Stop bothering me when I'm working.
   • Let me know if he bothers you again.
   • Sorry to bother you, but there's a call for you on line two.
   • Please stop bothering me with all these questions!
Word Originlate 17th cent. (as a noun in the dialect sense ‘noise, chatter’): of Anglo-Irish origin; probably related to Irish bodhaire ‘noise’, bodhraim ‘deafen, annoy’. The verb (originally dialect) meant ‘confuse with noise’ in the early 18th cent.

Idioms be bothered (about somebody/something)

1. (especially British English, informal) to think that somebody/something is important
   • I'm not bothered about what he thinks.
   • ‘Where shall we eat?’ ‘I'm not bothered.’ (= I don't mind where we go.)

can’t be bothered (to do something)

1. used to say that you do not want to spend time and/or energy doing something
   • I should really do some work this weekend but I can't be bothered.
   • All this has happened because you couldn't be bothered to give me the message.

(all) hot and bothered

1. (informal) in a state of worry or stress because you are under too much pressure, have a problem, are trying to hurry, etc.

not bother yourself/your head with/about something

1. (especially British English) to not spend time/effort on something, because it is not important or you are not interested in it

See bother in the Oxford Advanced American DictionaryCheck pronunciation: bother

Other results

All matches

• bother noun
• bother exclamation
• a bother

Nearby words

• botch noun
• both determiner, pronoun
• bother verb
• bother noun
• bother exclamation

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