tease 1 of 2

noun

Definition of teasenext
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

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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

tease

2 of 2

verb

ˈtēz How to pronounce tease (audio)
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

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb tease contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of tease are annoy, harass, harry, pester, plague, and worry. While all these words mean "to disturb or irritate by persistent acts," tease suggests an attempt to break down one's resistance or rouse to wrath.

children teased the dog

In what contexts can annoy take the place of tease?

While in some cases nearly identical to tease, annoy implies disturbing one's composure or peace of mind by intrusion, interference, or petty attacks.

you're doing that just to annoy me

When would harass be a good substitute for tease?

In some situations, the words harass and tease are roughly equivalent. However, harass implies petty persecutions or burdensome demands that exhaust one's nervous or mental power.

harassed on all sides by creditors

When can harry be used instead of tease?

Although the words harry and tease have much in common, harry may imply heavy oppression or maltreatment.

the strikers had been harried by thugs

Where would pester be a reasonable alternative to tease?

The synonyms pester and tease are sometimes interchangeable, but pester stresses the repetition of petty attacks.

constantly pestered with trivial complaints

When might plague be a better fit than tease?

The words plague and tease can be used in similar contexts, but plague implies a painful and persistent affliction.

plagued all her life by poverty

When is it sensible to use worry instead of tease?

The words worry and tease are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, worry implies an incessant goading or attacking that drives one to desperation.

pursued a policy of worrying the enemy

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 tease
Noun
Typically said when someone copies a trend, latches onto a friend's obsession, or just teases in a playful way. —Annabelle Canela, Parents, 5 Sep. 2025 Many took this image as a tease that Deadpool would make a cameo in the new MCU film. —Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
Verb
The move teased viewers who have long desired to see a romance blossom between their two characters on SVU. —Yamillah Hurtado, People.com, 15 Sep. 2025 But there was more scrutiny than usual on this year's departures after Michaels teased a shake-up in an interview with Puck published in August. —Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tease
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tease
  1. nuisance
  2. joke
  3. taunt
  4. teaser
  5. annoyance
  6. kid
  7. harasser
  8. torturer
Noun
  • According to the California Penal Code, a nuisance can be charged as a misdemeanor.
    — Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 14 Sep. 2025
  • The recent interference with the European Commission President’s aircraft showed how quickly GPS denial can shift from nuisance to geopolitical signal.
    — Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025
Definition of nuisance
Verb
  • Coon also joked that with so much time adapting the elaborate costumes, her daughter, born in the summer of 2021, thought that her mom's on-set dresser, Brian, was her father.
    — Avalon Hester, PEOPLE, 12 Sep. 2025
  • My wife jokes about the cat having foiled our murder plot yet again.
    — Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
Definition of joke
Verb
  • The two half-brothers had argued frequently, taunted one another online, and called each other derogatory names, both sides agreed.
    — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025
  • Investigators have searched Robinson's home and interviewed family members, uncovering ammunition engraved with taunting messages and online activity suggesting radicalization.
    — Amanda Castro Hannah Parry Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 16 Sep. 2025
Definition of taunt
Noun
  • The Movie cast list, a teaser, and a trailer.
    — Billie Melissa, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 Sep. 2025
  • The full capabilities will likely be shown in later teasers and, eventually, the full reveal.
    — Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
Definition of teaser
Noun
  • One of my long-standing annoyances with macOS was the lack of control over the menu bar.
    — Edward Mendelson, PC Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
  • According to her, the girlfriend brushed off the refusal and signaled her annoyance.
    — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
Definition of annoyance
Verb
  • Pat Kelsey wasn't kidding about wanting the smoke.
    — Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 2 Sep. 2025
  • In 2019, Lebanese depositors discovered that their banking system had, in effect, just been kidding about those savings accounts.
    — Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 2 Sep. 2025
Definition of kid
Noun
  • The documentary tells the true story of a teenage couple relentlessly bullied via text by an anonymous harasser.
    — EW.com, EW.com, 2 Sep. 2025
Definition of harasser
Noun
  • For decades, generals, coup-plotters, and torturers walked free under the shield of amnesty laws passed after the country’s 21-year dictatorship.
    — Julia Vargas Jones, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
  • Is the man actually his torturer?
    — Zach Dennis, Charlotte Observer, 9 Sep. 2025
Definition of torturer

Browse Nearby Words

teas
tease
teased
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Cite this Entry

“Tease.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tease. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.

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