worry

verb wor·ry \ ˈwər-ē , ˈwə-rē \

Definition of worry

worried; worrying

transitive verb

1 dialectal British :choke, strangle

2 a :to harass by tearing, biting, or snapping especially at the throat

b :to shake or pull at with the teeth

a terrier worrying a rat

c :to touch or disturb something repeatedly

d :to change the position of or adjust by repeated pushing or hauling

3 a :to assail with rough or aggressive attack or treatment :torment

b :to subject to persistent or nagging attention or effort

4 :to afflict with mental distress or agitation :make anxious

intransitive verb

1 dialectal British :strangle, choke

2 :to move, proceed, or progress by unceasing or difficult effort :struggle

3 :to feel or experience concern or anxiety :fret

worrying about his health

—

worriedly

play \ˈwər-ēd-lē, ˈwə-rēd-, ˈwər-əd-, ˈwə-rəd-\ adverb

—

worrier

play \ˈwər-ē-ər, ˈwə-rē-\ noun

—

worryingly

adverb

See worry defined for English-language learners

See worry defined for kids

Examples of worry in a Sentence

We didn't want you to worry.
Don't worry. You'll be fine.
Don't make your parents worry.
When they didn't call after two hours, we began to worry.
They were fine. We needn't have worried.
His poor health worries me.
It doesn't seem to worry him that rain is in the forecast.
We didn't tell you about the accident because we didn't want to worry you.

Recent Examples of worry from the Web

The financial cost, for those who have to worry about such things, is spiralling.

— alan murray, Fortune, "CEO Daily: Wednesday 30th August," 30 Aug. 2017
Industry officials worry that the tribe’s move could lead to lower oil production on the reservation.

— james macpherson, The Seattle Times, "North Dakota tribe levies higher tax on oil drillers," 29 Aug. 2017
Don’t worry that cooking with it will null the point: The heat is not so high as to damage the principal flavors.

— emily horton, sacbee, "Eggplant and tomato make the pasta sauce of summer," 29 Aug. 2017
The Chinese, who Trump reportedly worried were cornering Afghanistan's mining market, have had their own setbacks.

— chicagotribune.com, "Despite risks, Trump administration moves forward with Afghanistan mining plan," 29 Aug. 2017
Instead, the Houston native is worrying about the well-being of his grandparents in the wake of historical flooding in the area because of Hurricane Harvey.

— andrew lopez, NOLA.com, "LSU OL Toby Weathersby talks about his grandparents being 'trapped' in Houston," 28 Aug. 2017
The players’ accommodations are toward the top of things to not worry about, but the Rangers still need to be able to get to their hotel safely and be able to eat.

— jeff wilson, star-telegram, "Rangers Reaction: Houston needs help with Harvey, not baseball," 27 Aug. 2017
The married mom of three, a teacher’s aide to special-education students, is worried that Republicans may make insurance more expensive for people like her, with preexisting conditions.

— anna gorman, Kaiser Health News, "Often Missing In The Health Care Debate: Women’s Voices," 17 Aug. 2017
There’s bigger things in life [than] to worry about someone’s attitude.

— dana rose falcone, PEOPLE.com, "Kylie Jenner on Becoming a CEO at 19: ‘I Do Feel Like People Don’t Take Me Seriously’," 14 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of worry

Middle English worien, from Old English wyrgan; akin to Old High German wurgen to strangle, Lithuanian veržti to constrict

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

worry Synonyms

Synonyms

bother, fear, fret, fuss, stew, stress, sweat, trouble, give a hang (or care a hang), sweat blood

Antonyms

calm, compose, quiet, settle, soothe, tranquilize (also tranquillize)

Related Words

agonize; long, pine, yearn; chafe; despair

Near Antonyms

accept; abide, bear, endure, stick out, stomach, sustain, take, tolerate

Synonym Discussion of worry

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

worry

noun

Definition of worry

plural worries

1 a :mental distress or agitation resulting from concern usually for something impending or anticipated :anxiety

b :an instance or occurrence of such distress or agitation

2 :a cause of worry :trouble, difficulty

See worry defined for English-language learners

Examples of worry in a Sentence

She finally ended months of worry over her credit card debt when she finished paying off her bill.
His high blood pressure is cause for worry.
Our greatest worry is that she'll get lost.
His only worry right now is getting to the airport on time.
His mother's health is a constant worry.

Recent Examples of worry from the Web

Least Worrisome Wind power may be the least of the region’s power-market worries.

— brian eckhouse, Bloomberg.com, "Harvey Set to Overpower Wind in State That Generates the Most," 25 Aug. 2017
Susan knew LAPD marriages usually didn’t last and that life as a cop’s wife was full of worry.

— jeff maysh, Los Angeles Magazine, "The Cop Who Became a Robber," 22 Aug. 2017
Some expressed worries that the event would set off the kind of deadly violence that broke out in Charlottesville, Va., this month.

— simon romero, New York Times, "Police Use Tear Gas on Crowds After Trump Rally," 22 Aug. 2017
Your kindness and generosity of spirit helps your friends through breakups, fam worries, and much more.

— jenna birch, Teen Vogue, "Why You’re a Great Friend, Based On Your Myers-Briggs Personality Type," 19 Aug. 2017
Worry is not action, and knowledge, while important, is not action either.

— julie beck, The Atlantic, "Constant Anxiety Won't Save the World," 17 Aug. 2017
In addition to natural variables like dry conditions and lightning causing fires, there's a worry that careless visitors could spark a blaze.

— kayla epstein, courant.com, "The Worst Things That Could Go Wrong During The Total Solar Eclipse - And How To Be Prepared," 17 Aug. 2017
And that has triggered heated debate and worries among health experts about whether IQOS will help or hurt public health in this country.

— william wan, chicagotribune.com, "Big tobacco's new cigarette is sleek, smokeless — but is it actually healthier?," 14 Aug. 2017
Despite his worry though, the two white cops let him off with a warning and one needles him about a college sports rivalry.

— cate young, Cosmopolitan, "Issa Reunites With Daniel and Lawrence Has an Unfortunate Threesome on Insecure," 14 Aug. 2017

First Known Use of worry

1804

worry Synonyms

Synonyms

agita, agitation, anxiousness, apprehension, apprehensiveness, care, concern, concernment, disquiet, disquietude, fear, nervosity, nervousness, perturbation, solicitude, sweat, unease, uneasiness, anxiety

Antonyms

unconcern

Near Antonyms

calm, calmness, content, contentment, ease, easiness, peace, peacefulness, placidity, placidness, quiet, quietude, sereneness, serenity, tranquillity (or tranquility), tranquilness; comfort, consolation, relief, solace

Synonym Discussion of worry

care, concern, solicitude, anxiety, worry mean a troubled or engrossed state of mind or the thing that causes this. care implies oppression of the mind weighed down by responsibility or disquieted by apprehension.

- a face worn by years of care

concern implies a troubled state of mind because of personal interest, relation, or affection.

- crimes caused concern in the neighborhood

solicitude implies great concern and connotes either thoughtful or hovering attentiveness toward another.

- acted with typical maternal solicitude

anxiety stresses anguished uncertainty or fear of misfortune or failure.

- plagued by anxiety and self-doubt

worry suggests fretting over matters that may or may not be real cause for anxiety.

- financial worries

WORRY Defined for English Language Learners

worry

verb

Definition of worry for English Language Learners

: to think about problems or fears : to feel or show fear and concern because you think that something bad has happened or could happen
: to make (someone) anxious or upset : to cause (someone) to worry

worry

noun

Definition of worry for English Language Learners

: a feeling of concern about something bad that might happen : the state or condition of worrying about something
: a problem or concern : something that causes you to be worried

WORRY Defined for Kids

worry

verb wor·ry \ ˈwər-ē \

Definition of worry for Students

worried; worrying

1 :to feel or express great concern

I worry about Grandma's health.

2 :to make anxious or upset

The child's illness worried his parents.

3 :to shake and tear with the teeth

The puppy was worrying an old shoe.

—

worrier

\-ē-ər\ noun

worry

noun

Definition of worry for Students

plural worries

1 :concern about something that might happen :anxiety

There was no playfulness … just a sense … of worry.
—Lois Lowry, Number the Stars

2 :a cause of great concern

Her poor grades are a worry to her parents.

Learn More about worry

See words that rhyme with worry Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for worry Spanish Central: Translation of worry Nglish: Translation of worry for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of worry for Arabic speakers

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worry

Definition of worry

worriedly

worrier

worryingly

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Examples of worry in a Sentence

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Origin and Etymology of worry

worry Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of worry

worry

Definition of worry

Examples of worry in a Sentence

Recent Examples of worry from the Web

First Known Use of worry

worry Synonyms

Synonyms

Antonyms

Related Words

Near Antonyms

Synonym Discussion of worry

WORRY Defined for English Language Learners

worry

Definition of worry for English Language Learners

worry

Definition of worry for English Language Learners

WORRY Defined for Kids

worry

Definition of worry for Students

worrier

worry

Definition of worry for Students

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