1
: a heated often protracted argument : wrangle
embroiling myself in a long, exasperating hassle with masons—
S. J. Perelman
S. J. Perelman2
: a violent skirmish : fight
3
a
: a state of confusion : turmoil
all hassle and hurly-burly—Ellery Queen
Ellery Queen
b
: an annoying or troublesome concern
avoid the hassle of filling out paperwork
flight delays and other hassles of holiday travel
too much of a hassle to bother with
Synonyms
Examples of hassle in a Sentence
Noun
All this paperwork is a hassle.
They've had to deal with flight delays and all of the other hassles of holiday travel.
He got into a hassle with his landlord.
Verb
Other kids were always hassling her because she was overweight.
I'm sick of being hassled by telemarketers.
I don't have time to hassle with you about this! Just do what I tell you to do!
Recent Examples on the WebMolly Peck, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
How to drive to Country Thunder Arizona The key to minimizing Country Thunder traffic hassles is to plan on arriving at Canyon Moon Ranch early.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
Unfortunately, many dogs suffer from itchy and dry skin, which can be a real hassle for both them and their humans.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
PreCheck users also get to skip some of the hassles that the regular security line brings, like removing their shoes and taking their laptops out of their bags.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
Big suitcases stuffed to the brim with a ton of different outfits are more of a hassle than a luxury.
—Stacey Lastoe, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2024
Auto-industry analysts say worries over charging hassles and range have led to a slowdown in EV sales nationwide, and in the Bay Area, such concerns are rising while many of the early adopters already have the vehicles.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
There’s no mess or hassle of having to measure out oil or find water to take a capsule.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Since many stand mixers are designed to work on single-batch recipes, making food and desserts for a crowd can be a bit of a hassle.
—Laura Denby, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Mar. 2024
Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 8 Feb. 2024
And our advertisers: Well, they were frequently hassled and, too often, intimidated into becoming former advertisers.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 12 Mar. 2024
Dismukes is a cowboy weirdo hassling fellow bar patron Thompson.
—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 15 Oct. 2023
His first scene finds Cliff yelling at a white neighbor who’s hassling the family for spreading their mother’s ashes at the beach.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 15 Feb. 2024
George Bernard Shaw and James Thurber were stylistically hassled by certain know-it-alls.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2024
Tesla hassles SpaceX being private also spares it from analysts’ influence, Musk added this week.
—Steve Mollman, Fortune, 24 Dec. 2023
This 49ers team that steamrolled the Pittsburgh Steelers in the opener didn’t have it so easy, with quarterback Brock Purdy failing to throw a touchdown pass while missing several open receivers against an aggressive pass rush and hassling secondary.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2023
On another, she and her husband were hassled for sitting in a bus shelter reserved for white people.
—William J. Kole, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2023
Noun
These improvements can also make a living space more comfortable as well as be tailored to the owner’s needs and preferences without the hassle and cost of having to move.
—Molly Peck, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
How to drive to Country Thunder Arizona The key to minimizing Country Thunder traffic hassles is to plan on arriving at Canyon Moon Ranch early.
—Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
Unfortunately, many dogs suffer from itchy and dry skin, which can be a real hassle for both them and their humans.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
PreCheck users also get to skip some of the hassles that the regular security line brings, like removing their shoes and taking their laptops out of their bags.
—Natalia Senanayake, Peoplemag, 31 Mar. 2024
Big suitcases stuffed to the brim with a ton of different outfits are more of a hassle than a luxury.
—Stacey Lastoe, Condé Nast Traveler, 30 Mar. 2024
Auto-industry analysts say worries over charging hassles and range have led to a slowdown in EV sales nationwide, and in the Bay Area, such concerns are rising while many of the early adopters already have the vehicles.
—Ethan Baron, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
There’s no mess or hassle of having to measure out oil or find water to take a capsule.
—Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Since many stand mixers are designed to work on single-batch recipes, making food and desserts for a crowd can be a bit of a hassle.
—Laura Denby, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Mar. 2024
Verb
The two thieves slammed her up against the side of the building, hassling her and rifling through her belongings before the doorman came outside.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 8 Feb. 2024
And our advertisers: Well, they were frequently hassled and, too often, intimidated into becoming former advertisers.
—Neal B. Freeman, National Review, 12 Mar. 2024
Dismukes is a cowboy weirdo hassling fellow bar patron Thompson.
—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 15 Oct. 2023
His first scene finds Cliff yelling at a white neighbor who’s hassling the family for spreading their mother’s ashes at the beach.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 15 Feb. 2024
George Bernard Shaw and James Thurber were stylistically hassled by certain know-it-alls.
—Richard Lederer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Jan. 2024
Tesla hassles SpaceX being private also spares it from analysts’ influence, Musk added this week.
—Steve Mollman, Fortune, 24 Dec. 2023
This 49ers team that steamrolled the Pittsburgh Steelers in the opener didn’t have it so easy, with quarterback Brock Purdy failing to throw a touchdown pass while missing several open receivers against an aggressive pass rush and hassling secondary.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2023
On another, she and her husband were hassled for sitting in a bus shelter reserved for white people.
—William J. Kole, BostonGlobe.com, 18 Sep. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hassle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near hassle
Cite this Entry
“Hassle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hassle. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hassle
1 of 2 verb
has·sle
ˈhas-əl 
hassled; hassling
-(ə-)liŋ
1
: argue sense 2, dispute
hassled with the umpire
2
: to annoy continuously : harass
hassle
2 of 2 nounLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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