worried; worrying
1
: to afflict with mental distress or agitation : make anxious
2
a
: to harass by tearing, biting, or snapping especially at the throat
b
: to shake or pull at with the teeth
a terrier worrying a rat
c
: to touch or disturb something repeatedly
d
: to change the position of or adjust by repeated pushing or hauling
3
a
: to assail with rough or aggressive attack or treatment : torment
b
: to subject to persistent or nagging attention or effort
1
: to feel or experience concern or anxiety : fret
worrying about his health
2
: to move, proceed, or progress by unceasing or difficult effort : struggle
plural worries
1
a
: mental distress or agitation resulting from concern usually for something impending or anticipated : anxiety
b
: an instance or occurrence of such distress or agitation
2
: a cause of worry : trouble, difficulty
Synonyms
Examples of worry in a Sentence
Verb
We didn't want you to worry.
Don't worry. You'll be fine.
Don't make your parents worry.
When they didn't call after two hours, we began to worry.
They were fine. We needn't have worried.
His poor health worries me.
It doesn't seem to worry him that rain is in the forecast.
We didn't tell you about the accident because we didn't want to worry you.
Noun
She finally ended months of worry over her credit card debt when she finished paying off her bill.
His high blood pressure is cause for worry.
Our greatest worry is that she'll get lost.
His only worry right now is getting to the airport on time.
His mother's health is a constant worry.
Recent Examples on the Web
David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
But don’t worry, there are no plans to close the Stallings market.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 19 Apr. 2024
As a journalist, Berliner shouldn’t be worrying about what a political movement could, or even will, do with his piece: his job is to state the evidence and make his point.
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2024
The celebration has grown larger every year but don't worry.
—Mike Snider, The Courier-Journal, 19 Apr. 2024
Labor unions and academics worry that over reliance on companies self-reporting imperils the public or government’s ability to catch AI discrimination before it’s done harm.
—Jesse Bedayn, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
Swift doesn't have to worry about whether people will listen.
—Ann Powers, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
There's no need to worry about pesticides in almost two-thirds of produce, including nearly all of the organic fruits and vegetables examined.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024
The giant reef system — which is so large it can easily be spotted from space — has bounced back from disturbances in the past, including underwater heat waves in 2016 and 2017 that triggered coral bleaching events so severe that scientists worried the reef would never look the same again.
—Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
Silvia Foster-Frau, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
The Winter Games in Pyeong-chang, South Korea, in 2018, presented time zone challenges for U.S. telecasts, and there were worries about how North Korea would behave.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
Recent studies have linked money worries to anxiety and depression, pain and inflammation, heart disease, high blood pressure, headaches, insomnia, ulcers, back pain, arthritis, and asthma, among other ailments, as well as a higher risk of disability and early death.
—Diane Harris, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
The worries extend beyond eavesdropping and spying to include Moscow’s ties to political parties, especially on the far right, which are proving to be useful tools for the Kremlin.
—Erika Solomon, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
But neither of these options alone has solved the basic worry about outliving one's income and assets.
—The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024
The then-businessman and television celebrity sought to allay their worries by pledging to appoint conservative jurists to the Supreme Court.
—David Jackson, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
That is, until worries about stubbornly high inflation sent a chill through financial markets.
—Zimo Zhong, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
Early worries of a gridlock never materialized as vehicles moved freely down North Waco Street and the sun poked through gray skies by early afternoon.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
Verb
But Democrats clearly worry that those candidates could take votes away from Biden.
—David Lauter, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
But don’t worry, there are no plans to close the Stallings market.
—Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 19 Apr. 2024
As a journalist, Berliner shouldn’t be worrying about what a political movement could, or even will, do with his piece: his job is to state the evidence and make his point.
—Chicago Tribune, Twin Cities, 19 Apr. 2024
The celebration has grown larger every year but don't worry.
—Mike Snider, The Courier-Journal, 19 Apr. 2024
Labor unions and academics worry that over reliance on companies self-reporting imperils the public or government’s ability to catch AI discrimination before it’s done harm.
—Jesse Bedayn, Fortune, 19 Apr. 2024
Swift doesn't have to worry about whether people will listen.
—Ann Powers, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
There's no need to worry about pesticides in almost two-thirds of produce, including nearly all of the organic fruits and vegetables examined.
—Kate Gibson, CBS News, 18 Apr. 2024
The giant reef system — which is so large it can easily be spotted from space — has bounced back from disturbances in the past, including underwater heat waves in 2016 and 2017 that triggered coral bleaching events so severe that scientists worried the reef would never look the same again.
—Rachel Pannett, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
Noun
In the 1980s, the worry was a landfill and its accompanying incinerator that burned medical supply waste from New Mexico and El Paso.
—Silvia Foster-Frau, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024
The Winter Games in Pyeong-chang, South Korea, in 2018, presented time zone challenges for U.S. telecasts, and there were worries about how North Korea would behave.
—Brian Steinberg, Variety, 17 Apr. 2024
Recent studies have linked money worries to anxiety and depression, pain and inflammation, heart disease, high blood pressure, headaches, insomnia, ulcers, back pain, arthritis, and asthma, among other ailments, as well as a higher risk of disability and early death.
—Diane Harris, TIME, 15 Apr. 2024
The worries extend beyond eavesdropping and spying to include Moscow’s ties to political parties, especially on the far right, which are proving to be useful tools for the Kremlin.
—Erika Solomon, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2024
But neither of these options alone has solved the basic worry about outliving one's income and assets.
—The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024
The then-businessman and television celebrity sought to allay their worries by pledging to appoint conservative jurists to the Supreme Court.
—David Jackson, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
That is, until worries about stubbornly high inflation sent a chill through financial markets.
—Zimo Zhong, Quartz, 11 Apr. 2024
Early worries of a gridlock never materialized as vehicles moved freely down North Waco Street and the sun poked through gray skies by early afternoon.
—Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'worry.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near worry
Cite this Entry
“Worry.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/worry. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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