Definition of PESTER

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

Subban didn’t shy away from pestering the Penguins’ other offensive stars, like Malkin and lead scorer Jake Guentzel, who Subban also had a lengthy exchange with.

— hemal jhaveri, For The Win, "P.K. Subban on what Sidney Crosby said after Game 3: ‘He told me my breath smelled’", 3 June 2017
The Predators controlled play through it all, pestering and swarming and not yielding a shot for an absurd 37 minutes, until the rookie Jake Guentzel beat Pekka Rinne high to the glove side at 16:43 of the third period.

— ben shpigel, New York Times, "Predators’ Uneven Play Gives Penguins Early Lead in Stanley Cup Finals", 30 May 2017
That incident, observers have noted, underscores the cracks in city government that have pestered Fairhope since November when Karin Wilson, a political novice and independent bookstore owner, was sworn in as the new mayor.

— john sharp, AL.com, "What is wrong with Fairhope? Fast growing city's politics filled with tension and division", 30 May 2017
Their landlord Jason (Sean Patrick Doyle), a chill dad of three and Casey’s longtime bud, is being pestered by his wife to kick out the rubber-check duo.

— christine dolen, miamiherald, "When times get tough, this Elvis impersonator turns to drag shows", 30 May 2017
But the collection was legendary, and he was pestered by requests from aficionados.

— charles fleming, latimes.com, "He's got one hell of a motorcycle collection — and one hell of a life story to go with it", 26 May 2017
Even before the injury bug pestered him, Gomes struggled to find any sort of rhythm at the plate.

— zack meisel, cleveland.com, "Yan Gomes' at-bats are no longer giving the Cleveland Indians catcher white hair", 26 May 2017
Paparazzi pestered the crew with the one question on everyone's mind: Are Bella (19) and Scott (33) dating or just hanging out?

— noelle devoe, Seventeen, "Bella Thorne and Scott Disick Avoid Questions About Dating as They Catch a Plane Together", 23 May 2017
Several weeks ago, site co-founder Sharon Weinberger and I started pestering the military about the decision to send a microwave heat ray gun to Afghanistan.

— noah shachtman, WIRED, "Pain Ray Recalled From Afghanistan", 20 July 2010

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

First Known Use: 1548

pester Synonyms

Synonyms

bug, chivy (or chivvy), disturb, intrude (upon), bother

Near Antonyms

disregard, forget, ignore, leave, slight; appease, conciliate, disarm, mollify, oblige, placate; delight, gladden, gratify, please, satisfy; comfort, console, content

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. pursued a policy of worrying the enemy annoy implies disturbing one's composure or peace of mind by intrusion, interference, or petty attacks. you're doing that just to annoy me harass implies petty persecutions or burdensome demands that exhaust one's nervous or mental power. harassed on all sides by creditors harry may imply heavy oppression or maltreatment. the strikers had been harried by thugs plague implies a painful and persistent affliction. plagued all her life by poverty pester stresses the repetition of petty attacks. constantly pestered with trivial complaints tease suggests an attempt to break down one's resistance or rouse to wrath. children teased the dog

pester