harassed; harassing; harasses
1
b(1)
: to annoy persistently
was harassing his younger brother
(2)
: to create an unpleasant or hostile situation for especially by uninvited and unwelcome verbal or physical conduct
was being harassed by her classmates
claims that the police were unfairly harassing him
2
: to worry and impede by repeated raids
harassed the enemy
harasser
noun
Examples of harass in a Sentence
She was constantly harassed by the other students.
He claims that he is being unfairly harassed by the police.
Recent Examples on the Web
Spencer Pratt lashed out at the Los Angeles Times and a rival mayoral candidate, accusing a reporter of harassing his family and trying to expose where his children live as his campaign gains traction in the polls.
—
Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
The following year, the club were made aware of footage of two male Bournemouth supporters intervening after witnessing a woman being harassed on public transport.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Police said the man was harassing workers at the market while wielding a kitchen knife.
—Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
In 2017, Matthew Herrick sued the dating app Grindr after his ex-boyfriend used fake profiles to harass Herrick and send hundreds of strangers to his home.
—Shannon Bond, NPR, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for harass
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Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026
The following year, the club were made aware of footage of two male Bournemouth supporters intervening after witnessing a woman being harassed on public transport.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Police said the man was harassing workers at the market while wielding a kitchen knife.
—Alexa Herrera, CBS News, 6 Apr. 2026
In 2017, Matthew Herrick sued the dating app Grindr after his ex-boyfriend used fake profiles to harass Herrick and send hundreds of strangers to his home.
—Shannon Bond, NPR, 3 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for harass
Cite this Entry
“Harass.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harass. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
Legal Definition
harass
transitive verb
ha·rass
hə-ˈras, ˈhar-əs 
: to subject persistently and wrongfully to annoying, offensive, or troubling behavior
a collection agency harassing a debtor
see also sexual harassment
harasser
noun
harassment
noun
Etymology
Middle French harasser to exhaust, fatigue, from harer to set a dog on, from Old French hare, interjection used to incite dogs
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
