pester

verb pes·ter \ ˈpe-stər \

Updated on: 8 Apr 2018

Definition of pester

pestered; pestering play \ˈpe-st(ə-)riŋ\

transitive verb

1 obsolete : overcrowd

2 : to harass with petty irritations : annoy

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Examples of pester in a Sentence

Leave me alone! Stop pestering me!
one resident pestered the condo board about every little thing

Recent Examples of pester from the Web

In a couple of brief but memorable scenes in the film, Shanté interacts with a young kid who pesters her to listen to him rap.

— sonaiya kelley, latimes.com, "Nas on Netflix docuseries 'Rapture,' Killer Mike and why hip-hop's mainstream appeal won't be enough to kill the genre," 3 Apr. 2018
Murray, who once threw three cellphones off a hotel roof when the owners wouldn't stop pestering him for photos, is famous for random acts of awesomeness.

— jeffrey lee puckett, The Courier-Journal, "Please, Louisville, don't screw up this sweet deal with Bill Murray," 28 Mar. 2018
This one, an amalgam of several disturbances and the original coastal storm that began pestering the region on Tuesday, would be the fourth significant nor’easter to affect the region since March 2.

— anthony r. wood, Philly.com, "Snow records in trouble as wild March takes a wilder turn," 20 Mar. 2018
There's no Fifth Amendment right not to be pestered for paperwork.

— charles p. pierce, Esquire, "Sam Nunberg Starts Talking. You Know Who's Listening.," 5 Mar. 2018
The flies and parasites are known to pester cattle in the region.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "Woman pulls wiggling cattle worms from her eyeball, makes medical history," 13 Feb. 2018
Virginia double teams post players and then cuts off drives to the lane, scrambling around the perimeter to pester shooters.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "3 things to watch Wednesday as Louisville basketball takes on No. 2 Virginia," 30 Jan. 2018
The feisty point guard was a ball of energy in his 33 minutes, bouncing all over the court and helping facilitate the offense, while picking up and pestering his man full court on defense.

— jim ayello, Indianapolis Star, "Pacers set the tone early against the Suns," 24 Jan. 2018
Duke's defense was frequently active and getting hands in passing lanes, particularly in the first half, and pestered the Panthers into three 10-second backcourt violations.

— USA TODAY, "No. 5 Duke blows out Pittsburgh 81-54 for fourth win in a row," 20 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pester.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of pester

modification of Middle French empestrer to hobble, embarrass, from Vulgar Latin *impastoriare, from Latin in- + Late Latin pastoria tether — more at pastern

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First Known Use: 1548

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pester Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of pester

worry, annoy, harass, harry, plague, pester, tease mean to disturb or irritate by persistent acts. worry implies an incessant goading or attacking that drives one to desperation.