Harass Definition & Meaning

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  • Other Word Forms
  • Etymology
  • Examples
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    • Synonyms harass American [huh-ras, har-uhs] / həˈræs, ˈhær əs /

    verb (used with object)

    1. to disturb or bother persistently; torment, as with troubles or cares; pester.

      He stays up late, harassed with doubt and anxiety.

      Synonyms: annoy, hector, plague, vex, badger

    2. to intimidate or coerce, as with persistent demands or threats.

      Apparently a parent has been harassing the school principal with late-night phone calls.

    3. to subject to unwelcome sexual advances.

      I was harassed by my boss many years ago.

    4. to trouble by repeated attacks, incursions, etc., as in war or hostilities; harry; raid.

      Synonyms: beset, besiege
    harass British / ˈhærəs, həˈræs /

    verb

    1. (tr) to trouble, torment, or confuse by continual persistent attacks, questions, etc

    "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

    Pronunciation

    harass , a 17th-century borrowing from French, has traditionally been pronounced in English as , with stress on the first syllable. A newer pronunciation, , has developed in North American (but not British) English and has become the more common one in the U.S., especially among younger speakers.

    Related Words

    See worry.

    Other Word Forms

    • harassable adjective
    • harassed adjective
    • harasser noun
    • harassing adjective
    • harassingly adverb
    • harassment noun
    • overharass verb (used with object)
    • unharassed adjective

    Etymology

    Origin of harass

    First recorded in 1610–20; from French, Middle French harasser “to harry, harass,” verbal derivative of harace, harache (in phrase courre a la harace “pursue”), equivalent to hare “cry used to urge dogs on” (from Frankish hara (unattested) “here, from this side”; compare Old High German hera, Middle Dutch hare ) + -asse augmentative or pejorative suffix, from Latin -ācea

    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.

    Greer recently threatened External link tariff hikes or other measures if the EU didn’t ease up on “discriminatory and harassing lawsuits, taxes, fines, and directives” against U.S. technology.

    From Barron's

    The suspect responded, ‘I don’t know you from nobody,’ then the suspect repeatedly asked, ‘Why are you harassing me?’” the police affidavit said.

    From The Wall Street Journal

    However, at UCLA, Baluch said he and team members found “problems with the complaint system and that some of the professors were genuinely harassed and to such a severe level that it violates Title VII.”

    From Los Angeles Times

    There will also be almost £2m in investment for special undercover units of police officers operating online - to target those harassing women and girls on the internet.

    From BBC

    She said she donated to the case because she was frustrated by situations where "women were being harassed and losing their jobs on the basis of lawfully held beliefs".

    From BBC

    Related Words

    • burn
    • hassle
    • heckle
    • hound
    • intimidate
    • persecute
    • pester
    • raid
    • tease
    • torment

    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.

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