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

Manager Joe Maddon said preferred to let the Cubs player development staff handle Schwarber and not pester him with questions.

— mark gonzales, chicagotribune.com, "Kyle Schwarber could rejoin Cubs by end of homestand", 4 July 2017
Being out in nature, confronted with only the melodic sensory inputs of wildlife and the elements — not the constant bleeping and tic-inducing buzzing of my phone — will be the salve for whatever pesters me.

— alli harvey, Alaska Dispatch News, "When camping in Alaska gets a little annoying", 30 June 2017
Threat level: Not interested in contending at this time, but get back to us in a couple of years The Royals are a gnat that probably has better things to do, but the Indians have essentially invited it to pester them.

— cleveland.com, "Sizing up the AL Central: Which teams, if any, pose a threat to the Cleveland Indians?", 23 June 2017
MORE JOHNSON COVERAGE U of L's bigs ace Purdue test: The Cards' big men answered that call in impressive fashion, combining for 37 points, 20 rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks and pestering Haas and Swanigan for much of the game.

— jeff greer, The Courier-Journal, "Jaylen Johnson 2017 NBA draft scouting report", 20 June 2017
After World War II, Butler regularly visited the guards at Gainsborough Studios in Islington, pestering them for bits of film.

— mike barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, "Bill Butler, Oscar-Nominated Film Editor on 'A Clockwork Orange,' Dies at 83", 16 June 2017
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

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

See Words from the same year

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