harass

verb

ha·​rass hə-ˈras 

ˈher-əs,

ˈha-rəs 

harassed; harassing; harasses

transitive verb

1

a

: exhaust, fatigue

I have been harassed with the toil of verse

—William Wordsworth

b(1)

: to annoy persistently

was harassing his younger brother

(2)

: to create an unpleasant or hostile situation for especially by uninvited and unwelcome verbal or physical conduct

was being harassed by her classmates

claims that the police were unfairly harassing him

2

: to worry and impede by repeated raids

harassed the enemy

harasser noun

harassment

hə-ˈras-mənt 

ˈher-əs-

ˈha-rəs- 

noun

Synonyms

• break
• burn out
• bust
• do in
• do up
• drain
• exhaust
• fag
• fatigue
• frazzle
• kill
• knock out
• outwear
• tire
• tucker (out)
• wash out
• wear
• wear out
• weary

Choose the Right Synonym for harass

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

Examples of harass in a Sentence

She was constantly harassed by the other students.

He claims that he is being unfairly harassed by the police.

Recent Examples on the Web

Har says the guards did not harass anyone physically, but the captives were most afraid for the 17-year-old girl. —Daniel Estrin, NPR, 5 Apr. 2024

Its photographer, a renowned director filming an underground movie, is harassed by the neighbors to hand it over. —Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024

In other words, being harassed makes men take harassment more seriously. —Jane Thier, Fortune, 2 Apr. 2024

Around that same time, on Dec. 1, 2022, Kindred notified the principal, assistant principal and a school resource officer that she was being harassed online by someone accusing her of engaging in inappropriate relationships with students, KXLY reported, citing court documents. —Kc Baker, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024

Stanford made life difficult for Diamond Johnson, the 5-foot-5 guard and leading scorer who scored 19 points but was harassed into a 7-for-24 shooting night including 0-for-8 on 3-point attempts. —Jerry McDonald, The Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2024

He is occasionally harassed by Kyle, Bugaloo and Motaw. —Okla Jones, Essence, 26 Mar. 2024

Around the same time, Snodgrass called law enforcement to report people harassing the fire crew by driving aggressively in an area with a history of strident anti-government activity, including an armed takeover in 2016 of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. —Joe Davidson, Washington Post, 22 Mar. 2024

Add to these overlapping groups all those who struggle with harassing relationships, homelessness, captivity, severe loneliness, living in high-crime neighborhoods or working in or around noise or air pollution. —Lawson R. Wulsin, Discover Magazine, 22 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

French harasser, from Middle French, from harer to set a dog on, from Old French hare, interjection used to incite dogs, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German hier here — more at here

First Known Use

1617, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

harass

verb

ha·​rass hə-ˈras  ˈhar-əs 

1

a

: to tire out by continual efforts

b

: to annoy persistently

c

: to create an unpleasant situation for by unwelcome verbal or physical conduct

2

: to worry with repeated attacks

harassed the enemy

harasser noun

harassment

-mənt 

noun

Legal Definition

harass

transitive verb

ha·​rass hə-ˈras, ˈhar-əs 

: to subject persistently and wrongfully to annoying, offensive, or troubling behavior

a collection agency harassing a debtor

see also sexual harassment

harasser noun

harassment noun

Etymology

Middle French harasser to exhaust, fatigue, from harer to set a dog on, from Old French hare, interjection used to incite dogs