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 joking
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in taunting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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
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 teasing
Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026
After nearly a year of teasing, Underscores has finally shared the details of her new album.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 27 Feb. 2026
His voice nice, a little teasing.
—Mary Gaitskill, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2026
Carolyn charms everyone with her effortless teasing and joking around.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
The affection between the pair is obvious, even over a Zoom call, and the conversation is peppered with moments of playful teasing and genuine warmth.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Fans will just have to bear through the teasing until next year to see what Tierney has in store for them!
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
Even if humor and teasing are standard in your relationship with your child, this is a moment that calls for a more thoughtful response.
—Christian Dashiell, Parents, 28 Jan. 2026
The clip also features scenes from a previous trailer teasing images of the war and Odysseus’ journey home.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
Netflix is dishing out a second serving of A24‘s Beef, teasing a first look at the sophomore season of Lee Sung Jin‘s anthology.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
After all the iterations of Hole fizzled out officially, Love has been regularly teasing reunions, posting a photo of herself with Erlandson together at the end of 2013, followed by the promise of a new single the next year.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026
While teasing Season 2 and what’s to come, the series’ creators tout the advantages the audio format offers for thought-provoking science fiction.
—Jordaan Ashley, Variety, 3 Mar. 2026
Pre-seeding While EMV levels may cool off quickly in the months following a launch, brands are increasingly drumming up pre-launch interest by teasing newness and seeding products to creators, in some cases, months in advance.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 27 Feb. 2026
After a flurry of activity since teasing reunion shows last March, the band will release A Wave That Will Never Break, produced by Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom, on April 10.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 25 Feb. 2026
Actively teasing practice videos only deepens that possibility.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Ahead of the release of Morally Gray, Quinn’s social media have been teasing the actor’s upcoming narration with one clip of him notably tapping his wrist, something his Tell Me Lies character did to Grace Van Patten’s Lucy to help reduce her anxiety and calming the nervous system.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 19 Feb. 2026
Noun
The video prompted some unexpected playground-level teasing and a surge in Big Arch interest.
—Ramon Padilla, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026
After nearly a year of teasing, Underscores has finally shared the details of her new album.
—Walden Green, Pitchfork, 27 Feb. 2026
His voice nice, a little teasing.
—Mary Gaitskill, New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2026
Carolyn charms everyone with her effortless teasing and joking around.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 20 Feb. 2026
The affection between the pair is obvious, even over a Zoom call, and the conversation is peppered with moments of playful teasing and genuine warmth.
—James Pearce, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Fans will just have to bear through the teasing until next year to see what Tierney has in store for them!
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
Even if humor and teasing are standard in your relationship with your child, this is a moment that calls for a more thoughtful response.
—Christian Dashiell, Parents, 28 Jan. 2026
The clip also features scenes from a previous trailer teasing images of the war and Odysseus’ journey home.
—Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2026
Verb
Fans are convinced Musgraves is teasing a new album, which her fanbase has dubbed KM6.
—Ryan Brennan, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2026
Netflix is dishing out a second serving of A24‘s Beef, teasing a first look at the sophomore season of Lee Sung Jin‘s anthology.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 5 Mar. 2026
After all the iterations of Hole fizzled out officially, Love has been regularly teasing reunions, posting a photo of herself with Erlandson together at the end of 2013, followed by the promise of a new single the next year.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026
While teasing Season 2 and what’s to come, the series’ creators tout the advantages the audio format offers for thought-provoking science fiction.
—Jordaan Ashley, Variety, 3 Mar. 2026
Pre-seeding While EMV levels may cool off quickly in the months following a launch, brands are increasingly drumming up pre-launch interest by teasing newness and seeding products to creators, in some cases, months in advance.
—Noor Lobad, Footwear News, 27 Feb. 2026
After a flurry of activity since teasing reunion shows last March, the band will release A Wave That Will Never Break, produced by Spacemen 3’s Sonic Boom, on April 10.
—Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 25 Feb. 2026
Actively teasing practice videos only deepens that possibility.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 22 Feb. 2026
Ahead of the release of Morally Gray, Quinn’s social media have been teasing the actor’s upcoming narration with one clip of him notably tapping his wrist, something his Tell Me Lies character did to Grace Van Patten’s Lucy to help reduce her anxiety and calming the nervous system.
—Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teasing
Noun
-
Tennis players on both tours have become accustomed to receiving abuse and harassment on social media, most prevalently from bettors who have lost money on their matches.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
8 Mar. 2026
-
That includes avoiding activities such as harassment, infringing on privacy rights or recording sensitive information.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Group chat logs obtained by the Miami New Times in 2018 showed TPUSA chapter members joking about rape.—
Claire Heddles,
The Orlando Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Always entertaining and joking with those around him, the outspoken American has taken on a showman personality at the Games.—
Tales Azzoni,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Much of Chicago’s offense came from ex-Knick Guerschon Yabusele, who finished with 11 points and 13 rebounds while taunting his former teammates.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
23 Feb. 2026
-
Defense attorney Kevin Rousseau suggested in witness questioning that Bell-Johnson, who is known as One Leg and uses a prosthetic limb, sought comfort in gang membership in part because of taunting connected to his disability.—
Emerson Clarridge
Updated February 9,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The cringe factor is really great and anxiety-inducing.—
Destiny Jackson,
Deadline,
27 Jan. 2026
-
For Greendeer, this is the latest example of hits that are at once fierce and panic-inducing.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
There are also cool maps on the local prevalence of certain health conditions, from arthritis and asthma to cancer and high cholesterol to diabetes and depression to — not kidding here — where people have lost all their teeth.—
Teri Sforza,
Oc Register,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Literally toxic lesbians — kidding.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
And Georgia tackle Monroe Freeling, who wasn’t even a first round pick in several mock drafts in January, is now routinely being projected for the top 12, with longtime analyst Dane Brugler mocking him 11th to Miami in his draft this week for the Athletic.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
-
This might be the first time a film opens in theaters attached to a trailer for another movie mocking its franchise.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
For any non-frivolous claim that does not exceed $50,000, CBS will pay all costs of the arbitration, and reimburse any filing fees you may be required to pay.—
CBS News Philadelphia Staff,
CBS News,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Every hour spent fighting a frivolous lawsuit is an hour taken away from the seniors and families who need care.—
Nick Payzant,
Oc Register,
25 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Illinois’ 78-72 win over Maryland on Sunday in the regular-season finale wasn’t the most inspiring outing as the Illini head into Big Ten Tournament play this week at the United Center.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
-
So to be able to team up with her role model is deeply inspiring for Cate.—
Brian Davids,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Teasing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teasing. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
