1
as in teaser
a person who causes repeated emotional pain, distress, or annoyance to another
she can be a very cruel tease when she happens upon an unpopular girl who is easily hurt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in nuisance
one who is obnoxiously annoying
my youngest brother is a complete tease, following me around everywhere and aping my every move
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to joke
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 to taunt
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
grew up being teased because his parents were hog farmers
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in harassment
the act of making unwelcome intrusions upon another
stop that teasing before you make the baby cry
Synonyms & Similar Words
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.
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Recent Examples of tease
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
22 June 2026
It’s been 28 years since their last appearance, but the older fans remember the feeling of heady optimism, an occasional tease of excitement and then crushing disappointment.
—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
Stephen Garner,
Footwear News,
27 June 2026
Without giving away too many details, Score teases the end of the fifth book has a surprise for these loyal readers.
—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
Nic Juarez,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
This was 1967, back when teachers said teasing should be ignored.
—
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
David Denby,
New Yorker,
21 June 2026
The tiny humans sometimes linger in the blank space of your mind, staring back at you in a teasing way.
—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2026
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2026
That changed in recent days when the band began teasing activity tied to 2027.
—
Spin Staff,
SPIN,
16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for tease
Noun
In fact, most parents have witnessed their child pick on, tease, or even be mean to another kid at least once.
—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
22 June 2026
It’s been 28 years since their last appearance, but the older fans remember the feeling of heady optimism, an occasional tease of excitement and then crushing disappointment.
—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
19 June 2026
Verb
During Friday’s show, two colorways of an unreleased Willy Chavarria Stan Smith were teased.
—
Stephen Garner,
Footwear News,
27 June 2026
Without giving away too many details, Score teases the end of the fifth book has a surprise for these loyal readers.
—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
26 June 2026
Noun
Season three is cashing in on all the teasing and finally giving us the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war that brings Westeros to its knees, in all its bloody and fiery glory.
—
Nic Juarez,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
This was 1967, back when teachers said teasing should be ignored.
—
Literary Hub,
3 Apr. 2026
Adjective
The thickset Armand Assante was a phlegmatic Odysseus, but Greta Scacchi, as Penelope—who has so little to say in the poem—became the physical embodiment of anger, and Isabella Rossellini was a teasing Athena.
—
David Denby,
New Yorker,
21 June 2026
The tiny humans sometimes linger in the blank space of your mind, staring back at you in a teasing way.
—
Ross Andersen,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2026
Verb
After teasing a Parker County location for a few months now, The Sour Boule officially announced a second location will open in Willow Park.
—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2026
That changed in recent days when the band began teasing activity tied to 2027.
—
Spin Staff,
SPIN,
16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for tease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tease
Noun
-
Five years ago, with only a few teaser clips delivered by final-cut holder Rinsch, Netflix washed its digital hands of White Horse/Conquest.
-
Laika Studios released an extended teaser back in May, which has racked up nearly 90 million views.
Noun
-
And to add insult to social and cultural injury, the new policies also present a logistical nuisance.
-
In New York, night clubs were sometimes regarded as a civic nuisance; one obstacle was the city’s cabaret law, from 1926, which required bars to obtain a special permit if patrons were dancing and was not fully repealed until 2017.
Verb
-
Stickler may or may not have hinted about the end of the relationship in April, joking about an ex-boyfriend.
-
In July 2024, Reynolds joked that he and Lively might not be done having kids, telling E!
Verb
-
The groove passes between them without ever quite resolving, each jolt followed by a pocket of silence that feels almost taunting.
-
Neither incidents involved taunting players from the opposing team, and both of those techs have reportedly been rescinded.
Noun
-
There is just no defending that behavior, and the harasser/scumbag should walk the plank, so to speak.
-
Still, the star did not name her harassers.
Noun
-
Friedland describes the ritual with the mixture of reverence and annoyance that marks many of his best observations.
-
Game changer, annoyance, or something in between?
Verb
-
Just kidding, but seeing Angela’s team sweep Shamea’s at the Bailey Bowl basketball tournament was almost as satisfying as knowing Charles got to witness his former team’s historic win in person.
-
Idaho law mandates that kids age 14 or younger wear a life jacket on the water, according to the city.
Noun
-
Red is immediately abducted, cut open in an ambulance, and injected with pain-magnifying drugs by his torturers, while Liz accidentally murders the mysterious man surveilling her next door.
-
Aaron escapes his torturers, first by rooting himself in the town’s only movie theater open to Black people, and then by lying about his age and enlisting in the Navy at 16.
Cite this Entry
“Tease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tease. Accessed 4 Jul. 2026.
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