bothered; bothering
ˈbät͟h-riŋ,
ˈbä-t͟hə-
1
: to annoy especially by petty provocation : irk
It bothers her when people litter.
bothered by the itchy tag on his shirt
2
: to intrude upon : pester
Don't bother him when he's working.
3
: to cause to be somewhat anxious or concerned
My stomach is bothering me.
—often used interjectionallyOh, bother!
1
: to become concerned
wouldn't bother with details
2
: to take pains (see pain entry 1 sense 3) : take the trouble
never bothered to ask
1
a
: a state of petty discomfort, annoyance, or worry
when scenery gets mixed up with our personal bothers all the virtue goes out of it—
Edith Wharton
Edith Wharton
b
: something that causes petty annoyance or worry
Fixing it would be too much of a bother.
Sorry to be such a bother, but I need your help.
2
: fuss, inconvenience
doesn't want the bother of filling out all the forms again
Examples of bother in a Sentence
Verb
He's so easygoing. Nothing seems to bother him.
Something he said at the meeting has been bothering me.
The entire car trip was filled with complaints like, “Mom, David keeps bothering me!” and “Will you tell him to quit bothering me?”.
Mother used to cook elaborate dinners, but with only herself to cook for, she doesn't bother anymore.
“Should I call later?” “No, don't bother.”
I'm not going to bother with the details.
Noun
Replacing the windows could be more of a bother than it's worth.
I know what a bother driving into the city can be this time of day.
“Sorry to bother you.” “That's okay, it's no bother at all.”
I considered replacing that part of the floor but decided it wasn't worth the bother.
He doesn't want the bother of filling out all those forms again.
Will you mail this for me? It will save me the bother of going to the post office.
Recent Examples on the Web
Brody Miller, New York Times, 15 May 2025
That doesn’t mean the implication doesn’t bother him.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
The United States appeared to be in a spot of bother heading into last week’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers, after three top players withdrew simultaneously with only days to go.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bother
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Verb
Or Xander Schauffele, the defending PGA champion who is surely not bothered by the lack of attention on him early this week.
—Brody Miller, New York Times, 15 May 2025
That doesn’t mean the implication doesn’t bother him.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 15 May 2025
Noun
This* is the first Fulham-specific piece the Athletic bothers to chuck out in ages.
—Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025
The United States appeared to be in a spot of bother heading into last week’s Billie Jean King Cup qualifiers, after three top players withdrew simultaneously with only days to go.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bother
Cite this Entry
“Bother.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bother. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bother
2 of 2 noun1
a
: the state of being bothered
b
: someone or something that bothers in a small way
what a bother a cold can be
2
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