Definition of harass
transitive verb
1a : exhaust, fatigue I have been harassed with the toil of verse — William Wordsworthb (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
nounIndulge Your Inner Word Nerd
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
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She was also rejected from — or harassed at — teaching posts for similar reasons.
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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.
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Patients who needed help were left on the curb or waiting for hours for rides, and others were harassed or driven in unsafe vehicles, according to the suit.
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The Pew Research Center said Tuesday that 66 percent of respondents have witnessed other people being harassed.
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There’s this very prolific guy at the top who sexually harasses everyone, and victims were too afraid to speak out until finally, a couple of women came to me.
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The New York Times More than two dozen women in the technology start-up industry spoke to The Times in recent days about being sexually harassed.
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The pair claim that their families were dragged into the situation when Brzezinski's two daughters were harassed by the tabloid's reporters.
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The three accused players admitted harassing the victim, a summary offense.
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
Synonym Discussion of harass
HARASS Defined for English Language Learners
harass
playDefinition of harass for English Language Learners
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: to annoy or bother (someone) in a constant or repeated way
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: to make repeated attacks against (an enemy)
HARASS Defined for Kids
harass
playDefinition of harass for Students
harassed
;harassing
1 : to annoy again and again
2 : to make repeated attacks against an enemy
harassment
\-mənt\ nounLaw Dictionary
harass
playLegal 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
nounharassment
nounOrigin 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
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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
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