hassle

1 of 2

noun

has·​sle ˈha-səl 

1

: a heated often protracted argument : wrangle

… embroiling myself in a long, exasperating hassle with masons …

—S. J. Perelman

2

: a violent skirmish : fight

3

a

: a state of confusion : turmoil

… all hassle and hurly-burly …

—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

hassle

2 of 2

verb

hassled; hassling ˈha-s(ə-)liŋ 

intransitive verb

: argue, fight

hassled with the umpire

transitive verb

: to annoy persistently or acutely : harass

gets hassled by the cops

Synonyms of hassle

Noun

• encounter

Verb

• taunt
• tease
• bother
• mock

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 Web

Noun

This should help cut down on 'ghost meetings' (meetings that are scheduled but end up being cancelled or moved to a video call) and make the whole process a bit less of a hassle. — New Atlas, 17 Sep. 2026

Having to estimate demand, preorder vaccines, insure shipments, and have appropriate storage for the shots has made vaccination a significant investment and hassle for many practices. — Jennifer Reich, The Conversation, 17 Sep. 2026

Verb

Upwork has been in business since 2013 and was founded to take the guesswork and hassle out of the process. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 9 Sep. 2026

In the ad, Piven pulls up to a Miami mansion party in a sports car and is hassled by a bouncer. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

perhaps blend of harass and hustle

First Known Use

Noun

1945, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1951, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for hassle

• castle
• facile
• gracile
• hassall
• passel
• tassel
• vassal
• fluorouracil
• thiouracil
• forecastle
• uracil
• propylthiouracil

Kids 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 noun

1

: argument sense 2

2

: fight entry 2 sense 1a

3

: something that is annoying or troublesome