tease

¹tease

verb \ˈtēz\

teasedteas·ing

Definition of TEASE

transitive verb

1

a : to disentangle and lay parallel by combing or carding <tease wool> b : teasel

2

: to tear in pieces; especially : to shred (a tissue or specimen) for microscopic examination

3

a : to disturb or annoy by persistent irritating or provoking especially in a petty or mischievous way b : to annoy with petty persistent requests : pester; also : to obtain by repeated coaxing c : to persuade to acquiesce especially by persistent small efforts : coax d : to manipulate or influence as if by teasing e : to make fun of : kid

4

: to comb (hair) by taking hold of a strand and pushing the short hairs toward the scalp with the comb

5

: to tantalize especially by arousing desire or curiosity often without intending to satisfy it

— teas·ing·ly \ˈtē-ziŋ-lē\ adverb

Examples of TEASE

1. He and his wife enjoy teasing each other about their different tastes in music.
2. The other children teased her because she was wearing braces.
3. He was always teased by his brother about being short.
4. Oh, don't get so angry. I was just teasing!
5. The boy's mother told him to stop teasing the dog.

Origin of TEASE

Middle English tesen, from Old English tǣsan; akin to Old High German zeisan to tease

First Known Use: before 12th century

Related to TEASE

Synonyms: chaff, jive, joke, josh, kid, rally, razz, rib, ride, roast, goof on [slang], take the mickey out of [British], make game of, pick on

Related Words: banter; fool, fun, string along; jest, quip, wisecrack; gag, jape, jolly, yuk (or yuck) [slang]

see all synonyms and antonyms

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Rhymes with TEASE

breeze, cheese, ease, feeze, freeze, frieze, jeez, lees, please, res, seize, sneeze, squeeze, tweeze, wheeze