harass

verb ha·rass \ hə-ˈras ; ˈher-əs , ˈha-rəs \

Definition of harass

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

play \hə-ˈras-mənt; ˈher-əs-, ˈha-rəs-\ noun

See harass defined for English-language learners

See harass defined for kids

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 of harass from the Web

Women were also much less likely to be harassed, according to respondents.

— claire ballentine, Bloomberg.com, "Auto Dealers Dogged by ‘Boys Club’ Showrooms That Cost Them Sales," 25 Aug. 2017
Craft recognized Billingslea -- claiming the officer had harassed him multiple times in the past year, including driving by his house and flipping him off in front of his mother.

— tresa baldas, Detroit Free Press, "Lawsuit: Detroit police officer caught on tape body-slamming man 'WWE-style'," 25 Aug. 2017
But the Cuban government has long harassed American diplomats in Havana.

— gardiner harris, New York Times, "16 Americans Sickened After Attack on Embassy Staff in Havana," 24 Aug. 2017
The writer admitted harassing the woman and making threats.

— kevin grasha, Cincinnati.com, "Documents: Man threatened, stalked UC student over 5 years after meeting in World of Warcraft game," 23 Aug. 2017
Here, neighbors harassed and abused Dwayne, going as far as pouring scalding hot water over the animal’s body.

— kelli bender, PEOPLE.com, "Adopt Me! Dwayne the Dog Is Ready to Put Years of Cruel Abuse Behind Him," 18 Aug. 2017
She was also rejected from — or harassed at — teaching posts for similar reasons.

— michiko kakutani, New York Times, "‘Ants Among Elephants,’ a Memoir About the Persistence of Caste," 17 July 2017
In May, a teacher at St. Ignatius College Prep, a Catholic high school in Chicago, was reportedly outed, harassed by his students, and fired for being gay.

— emily perper, Longreads, "The Celebrity Jesuit Connecting With LGBTQ Catholics," 15 July 2017
Dwyer can harass and challenge defenders in the penalty area while Morris looks to stretch the field.

— brian straus, SI.com, "USA's first meeting vs. Nicaragua carries big Gold Cup implications," 14 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'harass.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of harass

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1617

See Words from the same year

harass Synonyms

Synonyms

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

Related Words

debilitate, enervate, enfeeble, sap, waste, weaken

Near Antonyms

activate, energize, invigorate, rejuvenate, strengthen, vitalize; relax, rest, unwind

Synonym Discussion of 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

HARASS Defined for English Language Learners

harass

verb

Definition of harass for English Language Learners

: to annoy or bother (someone) in a constant or repeated way
: to make repeated attacks against (an enemy)

HARASS Defined for Kids

harass

verb ha·rass \ hə-ˈras , ˈher-əs \

Definition of harass for Students

harassed; harassing

1 :to annoy again and again

2 :to make repeated attacks against an enemy

—

harassment

\-mənt\ noun

Law Dictionary

harass

transitive verb ha·rass \ hə-ˈras, ˈhar-əs \

legal Definition of harass

: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

Origin and Etymology of harass

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

Learn More about harass

See words that rhyme with harass Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for harass Spanish Central: Translation of harass Nglish: Translation of harass for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of harass for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up harass? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

harass

Definition of harass

harasser

harassment

Indulge Your Inner Word Nerd

Examples of harass in a Sentence

Recent Examples of harass from the Web

Origin and Etymology of harass

harass Synonyms

Synonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of harass

Phrases Related to HARASS

Related Phrases

HARASS Defined for English Language Learners

harass

Definition of harass for English Language Learners

HARASS Defined for Kids

harass

Definition of harass for Students

harassment

Law Dictionary

harass

legal Definition of harass

harasser

harassment

Origin and Etymology of harass

Learn More about harass

Seen and Heard

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games

Trending: McCain: Half-Baked, 'Spurious' Nationalism

'Spox' May Go On The Record

17 English Words that Come From Japanese

Forms of Government Quiz

Words of the Year: 1066