1
as in tormenter
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 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.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of teasing
Starr Bowenbank, People.com, 29 July 2025
Following the Season 7 finale cliffhanger, the video teases Jamie Fraser’s (Heughan) possible fate.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 25 July 2025
Rachel Desantis, People.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Lana Del Rey has been teasing her upcoming album for more than a year now, but details about the project remain scarce.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 30 Dec. 2024
Dua Lipa has been teasing a side part all year.
—Daisy Jones, Vogue, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for teasing
Verb
With a cheeky tease across social media, Victoria's Secret set fans' hearts pounding.
—Starr Bowenbank, People.com, 29 July 2025
Following the Season 7 finale cliffhanger, the video teases Jamie Fraser’s (Heughan) possible fate.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 25 July 2025
Noun
Hours before the podcast episode premiered, the trio teased it once again, with Jason, 37, making an enthusiastic introduction for the pop star.
—Rachel Desantis, People.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Lana Del Rey has been teasing her upcoming album for more than a year now, but details about the project remain scarce.
—Hugh McIntyre, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
The Brat rollout also saw Charli teasing unfinished demos at underground raves to build anticipation.
—Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 30 Dec. 2024
Dua Lipa has been teasing a side part all year.
—Daisy Jones, Vogue, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for teasing
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teasing
Adjective
-
Miller takes on the role of Victoria, a frivolous movie star, while Beecham is Georgina, an NHS nurse with an errant husband.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Mercer’s table feels like an at-home Dungeons & Dragons campaign, with frivolous shopping episodes, long-brewing backstory revelations, and the fostering of relationships throughout the campaign.—
Dana Reboe,
Rolling Stone,
7 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Rediscovering The Frick Because The Frick Collection is one of the most inspiring sanctuaries in the city, many art lovers find ways to support the museum through membership and other programs.—
Irene S. Levine,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Across the United States and Europe, analysts and policymakers frequently cite Taiwan as a paradigm of democracy—an inspiring example of how a polity can transform itself from a brutal dictatorship into a thriving liberal state.—
LEV NACHMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
One feature of Spark’s comic genius is her ability to come up with screwball storylines that recapitulate our hapless drift toward final judgment.—
Judith Shulevitz,
The Atlantic,
10 Aug. 2025
-
The film’s plot pulls inspiration from the comic storyline of the same name.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
10 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
More Getty Images What made his Saturday round at Sedgefield Country Club more amusing was the birdie surge.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
4 Aug. 2025
-
Also, the British themselves are generally strange and amusing.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
29 July 2025
Adjective
-
Those sorts of stunts—vaguely reckless, endearing, kind of funny—feel indicative of DeMarco’s general lack of interest in taking himself too seriously.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
11 Aug. 2025
-
However, Perry apparently didn’t find the post funny.—
Jason Pham,
StyleCaster,
11 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
In the case of Earth, premiering Aug. 12, the subjects of artificial intelligence and corporate overreach provide more than enough fodder for cerebral sci-fi horror grounded in the anxieties of 2025.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
5 Aug. 2025
-
Michael Cole talked up Gunther’s cerebral nature as Wade Barrett chimed in about the evolution of the modern-day wrestler.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
3 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Before Heritage, most think tanks were structured either as contractors such as the RAND Corp., providing policy analysis at the request of the federal government, or universities without students, where individual scholars pursued their own intellectual priorities.—
E.J. Fagan,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Aug. 2025
-
Throughout history, new technologies have often sparked fears of intellectual or physical decline.—
Nirmal Mukhi,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Several immigration attorneys criticized his comments as false and inflammatory in multiple media outlets.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Aug. 2025
-
What’s striking is the kind of inflammatory language the White House deploys.—
Joshua P. Cohen,
Forbes.com,
10 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Teasing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teasing. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share