tease

verb \ ˈtēz \

|Updated on: 16 Aug 2018

Tip: Synonym Guide

Examples: tease in a Sentence

Definition of tease

teased; teasing

transitive verb

1 a : to make fun of : kid

b : to disturb or annoy by persistent irritating or provoking especially in a petty or mischievous way

c : to annoy with petty persistent requests : pester; also : to obtain by repeated coaxing

d : to persuade to acquiesce especially by persistent small efforts : coax

e : to manipulate or influence as if by teasing

2 : to comb (hair) by taking hold of a strand and pushing the short hairs toward the scalp with the comb

3 : to tantalize especially by arousing desire or curiosity often without intending to satisfy it

4 a : to disentangle and lay parallel by combing or carding

tease wool

b : teasel

5 : to tear in pieces; especially : to shred (a tissue or specimen) for microscopic examination

—

teasingly

play \ˈtē-ziŋ-lē\ adverb

See tease defined for English-language learners

See tease defined for kids

Examples of tease in a Sentence

He and his wife enjoy teasing each other about their different tastes in music.
The other children teased her because she was wearing braces.
He was always teased by his brother about being short.
Oh, don't get so angry. I was just teasing!
The boy's mother told him to stop teasing the dog.

Recent Examples of tease from the Web

Grande teased the release of the music video on Twitter before its release at noon.

— katherine schaffstall, The Hollywood Reporter, "Ariana Grande Puts Feminist Spin on Religious Imagery in "God is a Woman" Music Video," 13 July 2018
Brooks then teased a few details about the show itself.

— justin l. mack, Indianapolis Star, "Garth Brooks teases big surprises and big reveals for massive Notre Dame Stadium concert," 10 July 2018
Kim teased Pompeo that tense negotiations on the first day of their two-day meeting might have caused him to lose sleep.

— emily stewart, Vox, "Mike Pompeo called US-North Korea talks “productive.” Hours later, North Korea says they were “regrettable.”," 7 July 2018
This week Musk teased an upcoming pickup truck on his ever-active Twitter account.

— russ mitchell, latimes.com, "Elon Musk is about to reveal how many Model 3s he's making. But that won't answer all the questions facing Tesla," 29 June 2018
Back in April, Servais was teasing Diaz about the intricate designs shaved into the side of his head.

— ryan divish, The Seattle Times, "Even with a nine-day break between saves, Edwin Diaz is still on pace for more than 50 saves and new haircut for Mariners manager Scott Servais," 26 June 2018
Lively and costar Kendrick have been teasing the mystery thriller together for months.

— isabel greenberg, Harper's BAZAAR, "Blake Lively Trolls Ryan Reynolds About Cheating on Him with Her Costar," 21 June 2018
Parish then teased the grip in March as a way to hold the Switch and two Joy-Con controllers comfortably in your hands with the screen oriented vertically.

— kyle orland, Ars Technica, "“Flip Grip” brings classic arcade screen orientation to portable Switch," 21 June 2018
Griezmann teased the decision with a clip promoting the special.

— charlotte carroll, SI.com, "Antoine Griezmann to Reveal Transfer Future in 'Decision' in TV Special," 14 June 2018

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

Origin and Etymology of tease

Middle English tesen, from Old English tǣsan; akin to Old High German zeisan to tease

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 4a

See Words from the same year

tease Synonyms

Synonyms

bait, hassle, haze, heckle, needle, ride, taunt;

Related Words

deride, gibe (or jibe), jeer, mock, ridicule;

annoy, bother, bug, burn (up), chafe, fret, frost, gall, get, gnaw (at), grate, gripe, irk, irritate, nettle, peeve, pester, pique, put out, rasp, rile, ruffle, spite, trouble, vex;

aggravate, exasperate, goad, test, try;

aggrieve, agitate, bedevil, beleaguer, discomfort, disturb, perturb;

badger, dog, hound;

browbeat, bully, hector;

harass, harry, persecute, plague, terrorize, torment, torture;

Phrases

make game of, pick on;

Synonym Discussion of tease

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

tease

noun

Definition of tease

1 : the act of teasing : the state of being teased

2 : one that teases

See tease defined for English-language learners

Examples of tease in a Sentence

a pretty girl who has the reputation of being a bit of a tease
The lower rate is just a tease to attract new customers.

Recent Examples of tease from the Web

Shiny copper tanks, a soaring ceiling and stunning white walls make the inside inviting, but the outside has a little come-hither tease to it as well.

— kathy flanigan, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Milwaukee breweries take it outside with patios that serve as second taprooms," 18 May 2018
Ribbing was necessary, the silent treatment their tease of choice.

— chandler rome, Houston Chronicle, "Justin Verlander shines in Astros' win over Angels," 26 Apr. 2018
Then again, a few weeks after the lawsuit tease, TWC filed for bankruptcy, which automatically pauses litigation against the company.

— eriq gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, "Weinstein Co. Buyer Lantern Investigating David Glasser for Interfering in $289M Sale," 11 July 2018
The music tease came just a week after news broke that the pair, both 24, got engaged less than a month after their relationship went public.

— jennifer earl, Fox News, "Ariana Grande fires back at fan who called her 'dumb' for naming song after fiancé Pete Davidson," 18 June 2018
As four tired-looking marines limp along a beach featuring broken Halo gates, the brief tease concludes with a shot of Master Chief holding his iconic helmet at his waist before driving off into the sunset on a Warthog.

— kyle orland, Ars Technica, "Microsoft teases Halo Infinite at E3 2018," 10 June 2018
Few cover teases caused so much attention as Rolling Stone's legendary headline for its Jim Morrison cover story in the Sept. 17, 1981, issue.

— howard cohen, miamiherald, "He's been dead for 30 years. But he's coming in concert to South Florida," 10 July 2018
The first new Battletoads game in years, due in 2019, got a short tease featuring a cartoon drawing of the familiar, frustrating speeder bike sequence but not much else.

— kyle orland, Ars Technica, "Microsoft pushes exclusives, premieres at pre-E3 press conference," 10 June 2018
The brand’s Instagram bio reveals that the collection will be launching on June 12, but something tells us the tease leading up is only just beginning.

— avery matera, Teen Vogue, "Fans React to Fashion Nova’s New Men's Line," 30 May 2018

First Known Use of tease

1680

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

tease Synonyms

Synonyms

baiter, harasser, heckler, mocker, needler, persecutor, quiz, ridiculer, taunter, teaser, tormentor (also tormenter), torturer;

Near Antonyms

defender, deliverer, guard, protector, rescuer, savior (or saviour);

comforter, solace, soother;

bodyguard, champion;

smart aleck (also smart alec), smarty (or smartie), smarty-pants, wiseacre, wiseguy;

kidder, lampooner, satirist;

bother, disturber, pest;

TEASE Defined for English Language Learners

tease

verb

Definition of tease for English Language Learners

: to laugh at and criticize (someone) in a way that is either friendly and playful or cruel and unkind
: to annoy or bother (an animal)
: to make (hair) look fuller or bigger by combing it in a special way