teases; teased; teasing
1
: to laugh at and criticize (someone) in a way that is either friendly and playful or cruel and unkind
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/only teasing!
Stop your teasing!
2
: to annoy or bother (an animal)
The boy's mother told him to stop teasing the dog.
3
US
: to make (hair) look fuller or bigger by combing it in a special way
She teases [=(chiefly Brit) backcombs] her hair.
4
: to make (someone) feel excitement or interest about something you might do or say without actually doing it or saying it
Stop teasing us and tell us who your surprise guest is.
She likes to tease.
5
: to remove or separate (thin pieces of something) slowly and carefully
The twisted strands of the rope were gently teased apart.
—often + outThey described the techniques used to tease out [=extract] genetic material from DNA.
She carefully teased the roots of the young plant out of the soil.
—often used figurativelyReporters are still trying to tease out [=find out] the details of the accident.
It won't be easy to tease out the meaning of these statistics.
plural teases
1
: a person who teases other people
—usually singular
He's just a tease.
especially
: a person who seems to be sexually interested in someone but who is not serious about having a sexual relationship
a pretty girl who has the reputation of being a bit of a tease
2
: a joking remark that criticizes someone in a friendly way : a teasing remark
—usually singular
Don't take what he said seriously. It was just a tease.
3
US
: teaser sense 2
The lower rate is just a tease to attract new customers.
Cite this Entry
“Tease.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/tease. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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