harassment

noun

Definition of harassmentnext
as in disturbance
the act of making unwelcome intrusions upon another he owes her a lot of money, so he shouldn't be surprised at her constant harassment for a repayment

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of harassment In the lawsuit, the family also claimed that an Oaks Christian School teacher accused their son of lying about the harassment after a student called him a racial epithet inside a classroom. — Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 Members of parliament received in-depth security briefings in Canberra on Wednesday as the Australian Federal Police (AFP) commissioner pointed to rising reports of harassment and threats against federal parliamentarians. — Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026 But when public pressure, including online harassment, coincided with mounting physical and mental health struggles, the streamer made a decision that’s often considered a death sentence in the industry. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2026 Policing cringe is the cruelest métier of the internet—the origin of harassment campaigns and platforming of contempt. — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026 The letter also highlights steps the league is taking to better protect players and personnel from harassment and threats by sports bettors. — Jessica Golden,contessa Brewer, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2026 DraftKings’ Code of Responsible Engagement is fully aligned with the league’s stance on the harassment of athletes, coaches or officials. — Jon Root Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 Oct. 2026 College athletes are reporting harassment associated with sportsbetting. — Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026 Detectives investigate alleged harassment Detectives responded to the victim’s home and saw multiple sets of tire marks in the yard. — Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harassment
  1. disturbance
  2. annoyance
  3. teasing
  4. torture
Noun
  • The vote, which is veto-proof, was met with praise by animal rights groups and park advocates who have long called for the ban citing several incidents where horses crashed or caused disturbances.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • There’s also a second disturbance several hundred miles east-southeast of Bermuda that could develop through Friday while moving north-northeast, the hurricane center advisory said.
    — Robin Webb, Sun Sentinel, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of disturbance
Noun
  • During the hearing, Reyes frequently exhibited frustration and annoyance.
    — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 19 Oct. 2026
  • That borough that continues to capture the national imagination — a site of envy for some, of deep annoyance and hatred for others.
    — Lisa Respers France, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of annoyance
Noun
  • But the two still co-parented well, and developed a teasing relationship, with McQueen sneakily making sure to marry his last wife, model Barbara Minty, before Adams married her second husband Alvin Toffel in 1980.
    — Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 20 Oct. 2026
  • After months of teasing and mystery, Days Of Our Lives has revealed that British actor Kyle Pryor has been cast in the highly anticipated role of Dominic Marino.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of teasing
Noun
  • After hours of torture, Chamberlain managed to free one of her hands from a pair of handcuffs with her teeth, unclip a leather leg restraint and quietly bolt out the door as Evonitz slept.
    — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • The psychological torture of this show on its audience knows no bounds.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of torture

Browse Nearby Words

harassing
harassment
harassments
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Harassment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harassment. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of disparate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All