ha·rass | \ hə-ˈras 
; ˈher-əs, ˈha-rəs \
; ˈher-əs, ˈha-rəs \harassed; harassing; harasses
Definition of harass
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
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Other Words from harass
harasser noun
harassment \ hə-ˈras-mənt ; ˈher-əs- , ˈha-rəs- \ noun
; ˈher-əs- , ˈha-rəs- \ nounSynonyms for harass
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
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 In response, protesters began to share information online to identify and sometimes harass them.
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New York Times, "A Hong Kong Website Gets Blocked, Raising Censorship Fears," 9 Jan. 2021 That those who harass and bully have no place in society or in science.
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500 Women Scientists, Scientific American, "Four Years after Science Took a Hit, There’s Hope," 17 Nov. 2020 The Associated Press An Arizona man who joined other members of a neo-Nazi group in a coordinated campaign to threaten and harass journalists, activists and other targets on both U.S. coasts was sentenced Wednesday to 16 months in federal prison.
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Michael Kunzelman, USA TODAY, "Neo-Nazi group member gets prison in plot targeting journalists," 11 Dec. 2020 An Arizona man who joined other members of a neo-Nazi group in a coordinated campaign to threaten and harass journalists, activists and other targets on both U.S. coasts was sentenced Wednesday to 16 months in federal prison.
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CBS News, "Neo-Nazi group member sentenced to 16 months in prison for threatening journalists," 10 Dec. 2020 The claim also references two Lake Oswego parents, who allegedly had their children harass the student’s mother and call the student a racist slur during a game.
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oregonlive, "Lake Oswego student plans to sue superintendent, state senator over alleged discrimination at school," 1 Dec. 2020 Utah’s anti-stalking law captures the many behaviors stalkers employ to frighten and harass their victims.
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Brian Maffly, The Salt Lake Tribune, "Ex-lawmaker Mike Noel gains stalking injunction against critic, who sees it as a gag order," 15 Nov. 2020 Nixon was accused of multiple abuses of power, including the use of government agencies to harass political enemies and to interfere with an FBI investigation of a break-in at the Watergate headquarters of the Democratic National Committee.
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Jeff Barker, baltimoresun.com, "Paul Sarbanes, longtime U.S. senator from Maryland who championed protection of Chesapeake Bay, dies at 87," 7 Dec. 2020 The Cowboys sacked him three times, but didn’t harass him consistently.
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Dallas News, "Grading the Cowboys: Atrocious red-zone offense, awful run defense and just bad coaching for Dallas," 27 Nov. 2020
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for harass
harass
verb English Language Learners Definition of harass
: to annoy or bother (someone) in a constant or repeated way
: to make repeated attacks against (an enemy)
See the full definition for harass in the English Language Learners Dictionary
harass
verbha·rass | \ hə-ˈras , ˈher-əs \
, ˈher-əs \harassed; harassing
Kids Definition of harass
1 : to annoy again and again
2 : to make repeated attacks against an enemy
harass
transitive verbha·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
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Comments on harass
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Time Traveler for harass
The first known use of harass was in 1617
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