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 And last month, a federal appeals court, again, ruled that Trump must disclose his financial documents to Vance's office, rejecting his lawyers' additional claims that the subpoenas were too broad and were issued to harass him.
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Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY, "'Vulnerable to prosecution': When Trump leaves White House, presidential 'cloak of immunity' goes away," 7 Nov. 2020 Cody Nason, a former employee at McCaskey’s fine dining restaurant, Acadia, was granted a no contact order last month after alleging in a court petition that the chef created a website, multiple email addresses and fake online reviews to harass him.
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Josh Noel, chicagotribune.com, "No contact order against Acadia chef Ryan McCaskey extended; lawyer says he wants to figure out who created site to harass former worker," 5 Oct. 2020 Supporters, backed by bot accounts, harass each other or throw accusations of fake news, often tweeting under rival hashtags such as #EndArmenianOccupation and #SaveArtsakh.
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Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, "Around Nagorno-Karabakh, an all-out media war unfolds," 10 Nov. 2020 Equally, while the police should be apolitical, the Tanzania police force was used as the ruling party’s attack dog to intimidate, arrest, and harass the opposition.
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David E Kiwuwa, Quartz Africa, "Tanzania’s democracy has taken a step backward after a flawed election," 4 Nov. 2020 And in Minnesota, a private security company is recruiting former military members to guard polling places, alarming election officials with the prospect of unofficial armed guards who could intimidate or harass voters.
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Matt Vasilogambros And Carrie Levine, USA TODAY, "'We'll protect their right to vote': How election officials are preparing for voter intimidation tactics," 17 Oct. 2020 In Minnesota, a private security company is recruiting former military members to guard polling places, alarming election officials with the prospect of unofficial armed guards who could intimidate or harass voters.
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Lisa J. Huriash, sun-sentinel.com, "Voter intimidation looms as a concern. Here’s how South Florida will fight it.," 17 Oct. 2020 To open the second half, the Saints continued to have Sanders harass the Chargers’ defensive zone from the slot.
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Luke Johnson, NOLA.com, "Second look: Emmanuel Sanders was the straw that stirred the Saints offensive drink," 14 Oct. 2020 Volunteers in Long Island, Kansas City, and San Clemente patrolled their communities to catch undocumented immigrants and either turn them over to law enforcement or harass them directly.
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Stephen Wertheim, The New Yorker, "How Trump Brought Home the Endless War," 1 Oct. 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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