worry

1 of 2

verb

wor·​ry ˈwər-ē How to pronounce worry (audio)
ˈwə-rē
worried; worrying

transitive verb

1
: to afflict with mental distress or agitation : make anxious
2
a
: to harass by tearing, biting, or snapping especially at the throat
b
: to shake or pull at with the teeth
a terrier worrying a rat
c
: to touch or disturb something repeatedly
d
: to change the position of or adjust by repeated pushing or hauling
3
a
: to assail with rough or aggressive attack or treatment : torment
b
: to subject to persistent or nagging attention or effort
4
dialectal British : choke, strangle

intransitive verb

1
: to feel or experience concern or anxiety : fret
worrying about his health
2
: to move, proceed, or progress by unceasing or difficult effort : struggle
3
dialectal British : strangle, choke
worrier
ˈwər-ē-ər How to pronounce worry (audio)
ˈwə-rē-
noun

worry

2 of 2

noun

plural worries
1
a
: mental distress or agitation resulting from concern usually for something impending or anticipated : anxiety
b
: an instance or occurrence of such distress or agitation
2
: a cause of worry : trouble, difficulty
Choose the Right Synonym for worry

Verb

worry, annoy, harass, harry, plague, pester, tease mean to disturb or irritate by persistent acts.

worry implies an incessant goading or attacking that drives one to desperation.

pursued a policy of worrying the enemy

annoy implies disturbing one's composure or peace of mind by intrusion, interference, or petty attacks.

you're doing that just to annoy me

harass implies petty persecutions or burdensome demands that exhaust one's nervous or mental power.

harassed on all sides by creditors

harry may imply heavy oppression or maltreatment.

the strikers had been harried by thugs

plague implies a painful and persistent affliction.

plagued all her life by poverty

pester stresses the repetition of petty attacks.

constantly pestered with trivial complaints

tease suggests an attempt to break down one's resistance or rouse to wrath.

children teased the dog

Noun

care, concern, solicitude, anxiety, worry mean a troubled or engrossed state of mind or the thing that causes this.

care implies oppression of the mind weighed down by responsibility or disquieted by apprehension.

a face worn by years of care

concern implies a troubled state of mind because of personal interest, relation, or affection.

crimes caused concern in the neighborhood

solicitude implies great concern and connotes either thoughtful or hovering attentiveness toward another.

acted with typical maternal solicitude

anxiety stresses anguished uncertainty or fear of misfortune or failure.

plagued by anxiety and self-doubt

worry suggests fretting over matters that may or may not be real cause for anxiety.

financial worries

Examples of worry in a Sentence

Verb We didn't want you to worry. Don't worry. You'll be fine. Don't make your parents worry. When they didn't call after two hours, we began to worry. They were fine. We needn't have worried. His poor health worries me. It doesn't seem to worry him that rain is in the forecast. We didn't tell you about the accident because we didn't want to worry you. Noun She finally ended months of worry over her credit card debt when she finished paying off her bill. His high blood pressure is cause for worry. Our greatest worry is that she'll get lost. His only worry right now is getting to the airport on time. His mother's health is a constant worry.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Don't worry though, Sampson reassures us the other manuscripts are fun as well. Sari Hitchins, Parents, 15 Mar. 2024 Still, particular beauty standards worry Scoggins as a father. Celeste Polanco, Essence, 15 Mar. 2024 Reddit’s new policy, mods worried, could lay that ecosystem to waste. Paresh Dave, WIRED, 14 Mar. 2024 Time to stop worrying about Colorado State’s NCAA Tournament hopes. Matt Schubert, The Denver Post, 14 Mar. 2024 More than 20 years after the ban took effect, some worry Oklahoma is starting to waver. CBS News, 14 Mar. 2024 For many years, religious Zionist families were hesitant for their sons to fulfill Israel’s mandatory three-year army service, worried that exposure to secular peers would erode their faith. Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2024 Unexplained lumps or lumps with symptoms like fever and weight loss or that feel progressively painful are a few reasons to be worried about an armpit lump.1 What does a cancerous lymph node in your armpit feel like? Dr. Roshini Raj, Health, 3 Mar. 2024 Ask Sahaj: My fiancé is worried my hometown isn’t good enough for our wedding Amy’s column appears seven days a week at washingtonpost.com/advice. Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 3 Mar. 2024
Noun
Still, Axelrod and others eventually started voicing their worries. Evan Osnos, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024 Those who felt the area was safe still feel that way, while those who have concerns said the shooting underscores their worries but hasn’t worsened them. Harrison Mantas, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 Mar. 2024 And Budge was quick to dispel any worries visitors cannot travel to Bisbee due to the fire. Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 3 Mar. 2024 Luckily her pal Chalamet stepped up to assuage any worries about Zendaya's presence in Part Two. Zoey Lyttle, Peoplemag, 2 Mar. 2024 For now, though, these worries appear to be misplaced. David Leonhardt, New York Times, 28 Feb. 2024 Someone has been quietly buying hundreds of acres of land — stirring worries about rising housing prices and speculation among locals about what exactly is going on. Dara Kerr, NPR, 28 Feb. 2024 Your goal is to define what keeps your dream client up at night and then use your content to remove that worry for good. Jodie Cook, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Get in the practice of asking your friend thoughtful questions as well as validating her frustration, anger and worry. Meghan Leahy, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'worry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English worien, from Old English wyrgan; akin to Old High German wurgen to strangle, Lithuanian veržti to constrict

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 4

Noun

1804, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of worry was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near worry

Cite this Entry

“Worry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worry. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

worry

1 of 2 verb
wor·​ry ˈwər-ē How to pronounce worry (audio)
ˈwə-rē
worried; worrying
1
: to shake and tear or mangle with the teeth
a puppy worrying an old shoe
2
: to make anxious or upset
his absence worried his friends
3
: to feel or express great concern : fret
worrying about her health
worrier noun

worry

2 of 2 noun
plural worries
1
2
: a cause of anxiety : trouble

More from Merriam-Webster on worry

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!