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\ ˈtēz 
\
\teased; teasing
Definition of tease
(Entry 1 of 2)
1a : to make fun of : kid
b : to disturb or annoy by persistent irritating or provoking especially in a petty or mischievous way
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
4a : 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
tease
nounDefinition of tease (Entry 2 of 2)
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Other Words from tease
Verb
teasingly \ ˈtē-ziŋ-lē \ adverb
\ adverbSynonyms for tease
Synonyms: Verb
Synonyms: Noun
- baiter,
- harasser,
- heckler,
- mocker,
- needler,
- persecutor,
- quiz,
- quizzer,
- ridiculer,
- taunter,
- teaser,
- tormentor
- (also tormenter),
- torturer
Examples of tease in a Sentence
Verb
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. Noun
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.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Verb With Kanye West continuously teasing a presidential run, the eventual rap battle for the White House may be inevitable.
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TheWeek, "Cardi B might run for Congress," 13 Jan. 2020 That’s about 500MHz faster than the common Core i7-9750H. Intel also teased that the Core i9 Comet Lake H chips will run in excess of 5GHz.
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Gordon Mah Ung, PCWorld, "Intel outs radical new Ghost Canyon NUC, teases 5GHz Comet Lake H processors," 9 Jan. 2020 The current Bachelor came in third for Hannah's season of The Bachelorette, and Monday night's Bachelor premiere teased Hannah possibly returning to the mansion to give their relationship another shot.
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Kathryn Lindsay, refinery29.com, "Peter Weber Was Going To Turn Down The Bachelor For Hannah Brown," 7 Jan. 2020 There’s no official title or release date yet, but the boundary-pushing rapper is already teasing her upcoming project in interviews.
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Erica Gonzales, Harper's BAZAAR, "15 New Music Releases That'll Make Your Playlists More Exciting in 2020," 6 Jan. 2020 The show took a mini break after a jaw-dropping cliffhanger in November that teased the NOLA team facing a potential shootout at Eddie Barrett’s (Eddie Cahill) compound.
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Erin Cavoto, Country Living, "'NCIS: NOLA' Fans Are Furious the Show Isn't Coming Back Until February," 28 Dec. 2019 That could mean new music, since Demi teased something earlier this month.
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Jasmine Gomez, Seventeen, "Demi Lovato and Austin Wilson Have Reportedly Broken Up," 23 Dec. 2019 Throughout her masterpiece comedy, Waller-Bridges’s writing and direction makes like the fox that torments the Hot Priest: stalking, teasing, lulling, and pouncing.
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The Atlantic, "The 15 Best TV Moments of 2019," 19 Dec. 2019 Eight months after a sign posted in a vacant store storefront teased the Indianapolis arrival of an award-winning brewpub, the company confirmed its plans Monday.
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David Lindquist, Indianapolis Star, "Award-winning 18th Street Brewery confirms plans for Indianapolis site," 17 Dec. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Gronkowski probably has one more comeback tease left in him before the deadline.
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BostonGlobe.com, "Sorry, something went wrong.," 20 Nov. 2019 The tease of three straight home wins to bring the team to the brink of relevancy.
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Ann Killion, SFChronicle.com, "A fitting frustrating end: The Oakland Raiders are no more," 29 Dec. 2019 Football, even for the greats, is a fleeting tease.
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Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, "Former CU Buffs OL Jake Moretti: “I love football. But I’ve got to make sure I’m able to walk when I’m 40.”," 17 Nov. 2019 By Google event in New York City today, and frankly, there weren’t many surprises left after months of leaks and teases, many by Google itself.
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Brad Chacos, PCWorld, "Google Pixel 4: The 5 things you really need to know," 15 Oct. 2019 The long tease of new Justin Bieber music is in full effect.
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Gil Kaufman, Billboard, "Justin Bieber's 'Very Special' Night in the Studio," 10 Oct. 2019 Later, there’s a tease of a new love interest, but even in divorce court, the chemistry between Midge and Joel crackles.
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Michele Corriston, PEOPLE.com, "Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Season 3 Is Here! Are Midge and Joel Back Together?," 6 Dec. 2019 Andy Burcham only had a few moments to gather himself and make a quick edit to his pregame tease.
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Tom Green | Tgreen@al.com, al, "Inside Andy Burcham’s 1st home game as Voice of the Auburn Tigers," 9 Sep. 2019 Capital Weather Gang winter weather expert Wes Junker chimes in with this assessment:
This storm is shaping up to be another cruel tease for snow lovers.
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Jason Samenow, Washington Post, "Any snow Monday likely to be light, spotty and unlikely to stick much (if at all)," 11 Mar. 2018
See MoreThese 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.
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More Definitions for tease
tease
verbEnglish Language Learners Definition of tease
: 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)
US : to make (hair) look fuller or bigger by combing it in a special way
See the full definition for tease in the English Language Learners Dictionary
tease
verb\ ˈtēz \
\teased; teasing
Kids Definition of tease
(Entry 1 of 2)
1 : to make fun of
… some kids tease me about my name.— Paula Danziger, Amber Brown
2 : to annoy again and again
Stop teasing the dog.
tease
nounKids Definition of tease (Entry 2 of 2)
1 : the act of making fun of or repeatedly bothering a person or animal
2 : a person who makes fun of people usually in a friendly way
tease
transitive verb\ ˈtēz \
\teased; teasing
Medical Definition of tease
: to tear in pieces especially : to shred (a tissue or specimen) for microscopic examination
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Time Traveler for tease
The first known use of tease was before the 12th century
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