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
  • Cunningham’s highlights are hard fouls, a few 3-pointers, taunting, serving as a ring girl at a UFC fight, her sense of humor, and now commentary that has a Fox flair.
    — Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Aug. 2026
  • His gruff mechanic Cooter Davenport is introduced as a hell-raising, uncouth wild man, constantly taunting the authorities and flouting convention.
    — Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of taunting
Verb
  • 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
  • Back at the base, the team is still bickering with the other troopers.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 2 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
  • There was a few months of speculation that Grande and Álvarez had reunited, with Grande coyly teasing their coupledom.
    — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 22 Aug. 2026
  • New series regular Da’Vinchi, whose character is the same rank, shared a photo from set on Thursday, August 20, teasing the casting.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of teasing
Verb
  • O’Leary, who owns multimillion-dollar homes in Florida, Massachusetts, and Toronto, has made the point to shop at Walmart on numerous occasions—long arguing that there’s no reason to pay more for everyday essentials when a cheaper option will do.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Nevada promptly sued, arguing the plan is untenable for Las Vegas.
    — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of arguing
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
  • 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
Definition of needling
Verb
  • Body camera footage shows that Jonah Neal did not pose a threat that warranted deadly force when a member of the federal crime-fighting task force in Memphis shot him in late May, according to a lawyer representing his family.
    — Juliana Kim, NPR, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Surveillance video obtained by ABC7 New York shows two men fighting in the street before gunshots ring out, and a vehicle swerves around the moped, appearing to flee the scene.
    — Rebecca White, New York Daily News, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of fighting

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hassling
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Cite this Entry

“Hassling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hassling. Accessed 30 Aug. 2026.

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