hassling 1 of 2

adjective

as in mocking

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hassling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of hassle
1
as in taunting
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults a small group of jeering protesters hassled the politically active singer at every appearance she made

Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in bickering
to express different opinions about something often angrily constantly hassled with the chef over the need to cook pork thoroughly

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 hassling
Verb
Eventually, Bournemouth were so sick of Sadiki’s hassling that substitute Lewis Cook jutted an elbow at him. — Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hassling
  1. mocking
  2. taunting
  3. bickering
  4. heckling
  5. teasing
  6. arguing
  7. needling
  8. fighting
Adjective
  • To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country!
    — Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2025
Definition of mocking
Verb
  • A week earlier, Packers receiver Matthew Golden had drawn a taunting flag for flexing his biceps after a crucial catch against the Cowboys even as the broadcast had one player posing in that very position for introductions.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
  • That felt pretty sweet for Arthur Tuverson, who gave a little smack talk to the San Clemente student section after the game, taunting them about the defense’s shutout.
    — Caleb Otte, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of taunting
Verb
  • Like law enforcement agents everywhere, they’re disposed to bickering about jurisdiction or pumping each other for off-limits information.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
  • There’s striker Josie Gordon, bickering twin sisters Siobhan and Niamh, glove-shunning goalie Katie ‘Boots’ Quinn and couple Maddie and Margy.
    — Hannah Abraham, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of bickering
Adjective
  • There was also an August 2024 incident at Fenway when Duran hurled a homophobic slur at a heckling fan.
    — Greg Dudek, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026
  • Charles Barkley was once spitting mad at a heckling fan, and his expectoration wound up splashing on an 8-year-old girl.
    — Jon Greenberg, New York Times, 22 May 2026
Definition of heckling
Verb
  • Heidi Klum is already terrorizing the general public by teasing what fresh hell awaits us with her forthcoming Halloween costume.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The actor appeared in a mid-credits scene teasing his love story with Chan’s Astrid.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of teasing
Verb
  • Headwaters responded by sending a letter to city council members, arguing that such a moratorium could violate its due process rights.
    — Naomi Nix, Time, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Nab is among the data centers’ proponents, arguing that data is the industry of the future.
    — Maggie Harrison Dupré, Futurism, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of arguing
Adjective
  • These were actors who may have earlier been needling at or attempting to push my boundaries.
    — Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 18 Sep. 2026
  • But for those who find (and in some cases may be slightly mystified as to why) that there is a nagging, needling value to Schrader’s ongoing project of tussling with grandiose dilemmas of transgression and deliverance, there is some new news here.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of needling
Verb
  • The discovery raises the possibility of a grim outcome in the search for the four men, which has led to El Salvador deploying 450 special forces soldiers to Haiti as of Friday to aid the gang-fighting force in the search.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The whole idea is for Israel to keep fighting, because endless wars serve Netanyahu to maintain… a constant state of emergency.
    — Daniel Estrin, NPR, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of fighting

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Cite this Entry

“Hassling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hassling. Accessed 2 Nov. 2026.

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