Harass Definition & Meaning

Home » How Do You Spell Harassment » Harass Definition & Meaning

Maybe your like

  • American
  • British
  • Pronunciation
  • Related Words
  • Other Word Forms
  • Etymology
  • Examples
  • Related Words
    • 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.

    While ideological differences remain, experts broadly agree that the outdated and complex codes - often used by inspectors to harass factory owners - needed simplification.

    From BBC

    Parents speak of being threatened, harassed and pushed into mental health crisis, while one adopted teenager who returned to care says that with more support his family might still be together now.

    From BBC

    Some guard members were occasionally harassed by locals, who in at least one incident shouted, “Traitors go home!”

    From The Wall Street Journal

    The Guardian newspaper uncovered hundreds of carers claiming Carer's Allowance had been convicted of benefit fraud, while others claimed they were harassed for money by officials.

    From BBC

    Leavitt wouldn’t even support another woman being harassed by a man in a position of power.

    From Salon

    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.

    Tag » How Do You Spell Harassment