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
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Recent Examples of hassling
Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025
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
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
Verb
-
Some of the people in that group began taunting and jeering at the dancing men, some of whom were shirtless and wearing bathing suits.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
9 June 2026
-
Then Tate started openly taunting his accusers.—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
The emotional distress may have stemmed from the family's extended trip together and bickering, his mother told USA TODAY on June 3.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
3 June 2026
-
While the concrete cured, the starting eight matches of the first-ever World Cup were relocated to Pocitos and Gran Parque Central, the home grounds of capital rivals Peñarol and Nacional, who'd been bickering since their first meeting in July 1900.—
Paul Jebara,
Condé Nast Traveler,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
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
-
Reuters reported that BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, who hosted the dinner of some 200 people as co-chair of the World Economic Forum, ended the dinner after the heckling incident — before dessert was served.—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Further, Smith has spent the past nine months teasing a potential run for the White House.—
Bobby Burack OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 June 2026
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Interest in the company has been high for years, with Musk teasing an IPO along the way.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
8 June 2026
Verb
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According to charging documents, the two men began arguing before Harmon allegedly retrieved a tire iron from his vehicle and struck the victim three times in the head.—
Caroline Foreback,
CBS News,
13 June 2026
-
Musk has proven the power of his RDF before – with one analysis arguing Tesla’s stock market capitalization would be $500 billion lower without Musk at the helm.—
Peter Cohan,
Forbes.com,
12 June 2026
Adjective
-
Then, Metric’s peak came on 2009’s Fantasies, which paired needling electronics with thumping drum programming; both it and its follow-up, Synthetica, hit the top 10 on the Canadian albums chart and went platinum in Canada.—
Ethan Beck,
Pitchfork,
4 May 2026
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For power users, this sort of thing can’t help but read as needling, even petty platform quirks.—
Eric Vilas-Boas,
Vulture,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Brunson turned on the boosters in the second half, attacking the Spurs' defense and showing little sign that his knee was bothering him.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
-
If certain smells or experiences are bothering you, here are some other tips for managing postpartum odor and sweat.—
Dory Zayas,
Parents,
28 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hassling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hassling. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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