as in harassment
the act of making unwelcome intrusions upon another
stop that teasing before you make the baby cry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in kidding
to make fun of in a good-natured way
likes to tease her twin brother about his seemingly endless string of girlfriends
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in mocking
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
grew up being teased because his parents were hog farmers
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in joking
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in taunting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Recent Examples of teasing
Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
These special relationships can be filled with everything from fun and joy to cruel pranks and teasing.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 9 Oct. 2025
Having a big back refers to someone who's physically big, or who draws gentle teasing for hogging food or being lazy.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
Each moment of humor or playful teasing becomes a small affirmation of connection, much like capitalization moments, that reinforces trust and a sense of belonging.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The back of the knee is a surprisingly erotic spot, sensitive to light touch and teasing.
—Essence, 11 Sep. 2025
For millennials, this constant critique may start to feel less like harmless teasing.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Kathy Griffin has apologized for her relentless teasing of Anna Nicole Smith in her early-aughts comedy acts.
—EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
The tension, the banter and the teasing built up for a truly seductive read.
—Taryn Finley, Refinery29, 26 Aug. 2025
Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
However, Motorola has already begun teasing international availability.
—PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2025
Jenner, 28, began teasing the song earlier in the day on Monday, sharing the cover art in a post to her Instagram account.
—Amy McCarthy, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
The final season of Stranger Things is coming soon, and co-creator Ross Duffer is teasing fans with the runtimes for the first batch of episodes.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
Good Morning America is teasing a big reveal involving Taylor Swift.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 12 Oct. 2025
Read on to find out everything showrunner Tia Napolitano is teasing about what’s to come in Season 4.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 10 Oct. 2025
Alemeda has been teasing the collaboration during live shows over the last year.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2025
Country singer Zach Bryan faced backlash after teasing a song with a lyric about ICE raids.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 8 Oct. 2025
Verb
Union also shared a video, shot by Wade, where her father reacts to gentle teasing from his son-in-law.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
These special relationships can be filled with everything from fun and joy to cruel pranks and teasing.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 9 Oct. 2025
Having a big back refers to someone who's physically big, or who draws gentle teasing for hogging food or being lazy.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
Each moment of humor or playful teasing becomes a small affirmation of connection, much like capitalization moments, that reinforces trust and a sense of belonging.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The back of the knee is a surprisingly erotic spot, sensitive to light touch and teasing.
—Essence, 11 Sep. 2025
For millennials, this constant critique may start to feel less like harmless teasing.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Kathy Griffin has apologized for her relentless teasing of Anna Nicole Smith in her early-aughts comedy acts.
—EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
The tension, the banter and the teasing built up for a truly seductive read.
—Taryn Finley, Refinery29, 26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Now, as Meadow Lane is set to officially open its doors this fall, Nussdorf is just excited for people to finally try the food, especially after more than a year of teasing his TikTok followers.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
However, Motorola has already begun teasing international availability.
—PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2025
Jenner, 28, began teasing the song earlier in the day on Monday, sharing the cover art in a post to her Instagram account.
—Amy McCarthy, PEOPLE, 14 Oct. 2025
The final season of Stranger Things is coming soon, and co-creator Ross Duffer is teasing fans with the runtimes for the first batch of episodes.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
Good Morning America is teasing a big reveal involving Taylor Swift.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 12 Oct. 2025
Read on to find out everything showrunner Tia Napolitano is teasing about what’s to come in Season 4.
—Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 10 Oct. 2025
Alemeda has been teasing the collaboration during live shows over the last year.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 10 Oct. 2025
Country singer Zach Bryan faced backlash after teasing a song with a lyric about ICE raids.
—Audrey Gibbs, Nashville Tennessean, 8 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teasing
Noun
-
Those exceptions include true threats, defamation, harassment and obscenities.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
15 Oct. 2025
-
The fashion show was canceled in 2019, the same year organizer Edward Razek resigned after facing criticism for misogyny and harassment.—
Dina Kaur,
AZCentral.com,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Moore was in the Bears’ locker room joking with teammates before leaving the stadium in an ambulance.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
14 Oct. 2025
-
Orgeron provided one of the most memorable quotes about his firing and subsequent buyout, joking about it when speaking to the Little Rock Touchdown Club in Arkansas in 2022.—
Sam Khan Jr,
New York Times,
12 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
However, the league seemingly deemed his actions not punishment-worthy, saving Mahomes from an $11,593 first-offense taunting penalty.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
-
But the playoff run that included his father being banned from games after confronting and taunting Giannis Antetokounmpo and the NBA Finals loss, as well as Haliburton’s Achilles injury during that Finals run, is captured well.—
Jason Jones,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Carrie Bradshaw, frankly, has always been a mess — a beautiful, cringe-inducing, selfish, couture-wearing mess.—
Lyz Lenz,
Rolling Stone,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Just before Thursday’s taping Pence and Emanual met outside the greenroom, and each greeted each other warmly, quickly asking each other questions about their kids before anything else, while kidding with each other about a long unpaid bet.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Okay, kidding about that last part.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Even shoppers nibbling on a slice of pizza seemed to be mocking him.—
Jeff Pearlman,
Rolling Stone,
17 Oct. 2025
-
Link was captured on Ring camera footage mocking and belittling Jimenez after shooting him, Bergida said.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The judge found that LaBella’s claims, taken as true, are not frivolous, and thus the motion was denied.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Indeed, Historian Robert O’Byrne explains that the British public did not always care about fashion, preferring traditional design staples in fabrics like tweed, and regarding designer clothing as frivolous.—
Time,
Time,
16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Yet, one of the most inspiring developmental stories in NBA history doesn’t happen without Antetokounmpo’s stint at the point.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Mould, Barbe, and Travis got together and rehearsed for a possible reunion, but the musical vibe was not as inspiring as Mould had hoped.—
David Browne,
Rolling Stone,
15 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Teasing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teasing. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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