pester

verb

pes·​ter ˈpe-stər 

pestered; pestering ˈpe-st(ə-)riŋ 

transitive verb

1

obsolete : overcrowd

2

: to harass with petty irritations : annoy

Synonyms of pester

• bother

Choose the Right Synonym for 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

Examples of pester in a Sentence

Leave me alone! Stop pestering me!

one resident pestered the condo board about every little thing

Recent Examples on the Web

Hawke’s Hart holds serve in all of these scenes, motormouthing, pestering, insisting, utterly unable to help himself, sometimes in the most literal interpretation of the phrase. —Joe Reid, Vulture, 1 Dec. 2025

As the gang is gearing up for this fight, Mike pesters Will to the point that all the latter can do is roll his eyes. —Katie Campione, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2025

Even pestering mosquitoes couldn’t break Mobley’s focus. —Mirin Fader, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025

The famous bullies attack boats and pester other animals for reasons that sometimes aren’t entirely clear. —Ashley Balzer Vigil, Scientific American, 2 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pester

• ester
• esther
• fester
• jester
• nester
• nestor
• prester
• quaestor
• tester
• wester
• yester
• ancestor

Kids Definition

pester

verb

pes·​ter ˈpes-tər 

pestered; pestering -t(ə-)riŋ 

: annoy, bother