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
Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2025
If something’s bothering you, say so.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2025
Richard Edwards, Space.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Enjoying an excellent day in front of a vociferous home support at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, the 36-year-old found himself in a spot of bother when his tee shot at the par-four 11th curved into the rough on the right of the fairway.
—Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 19 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for bother
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
An additional 14% of respondents said that these legends don’t bother them at all, no matter the price of the house.
—Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Oct. 2025
If something’s bothering you, say so.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
There, the Enterprise crew will be strangely ignorant of an enemy that had caused Starfleet no end of bother just a few years earlier.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Enjoying an excellent day in front of a vociferous home support at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, the 36-year-old found himself in a spot of bother when his tee shot at the par-four 11th curved into the rough on the right of the fairway.
—Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 19 July 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 3 Nov. 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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