as in harassment
the act of making unwelcome intrusions upon another
stop that teasing before you make the baby cry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Recent Examples of teasing
Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The back of the knee is a surprisingly erotic spot, sensitive to light touch and teasing.
—Essence, 11 Sep. 2025
For millennials, this constant critique may start to feel less like harmless teasing.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Kathy Griffin has apologized for her relentless teasing of Anna Nicole Smith in her early-aughts comedy acts.
—EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
The tension, the banter and the teasing built up for a truly seductive read.
—Taryn Finley, Refinery29, 26 Aug. 2025
Many brushed aside the cheeky clip as mischievous teasing between teammates at the time.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025
In the comments of his new TikTok teasing the piece, Harris also explained that Reyez — despite Cyrus’ previous involvement — has always been a part of the upcoming song.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 19 Aug. 2025
After a barrage of freaky, teasing scares, and a lot of ominous attention directed at Alex’s house, where something evil is clearly going on, Weapons gambles on providing solutions.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 Aug. 2025
PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2025
On Instagram, Alcaraz — who defeated Jannik Sinner in four sets to win his second title at the prestigious tournament held in New York — shared a carousel of images, teasing the process of his hairstyle switch-up.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
The game doesn’t yet have a firm release date, with only a vague 2026 window teasing its launch on PlayStation 5 and PC.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
And in teasing the devices’ new camera capabilities, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak said Tuesday’s launch event was filmed on an iPhone 17 Pro.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
What might feel harmless in the moment, like teasing someone, chatting about lunch plans or venting about a frustrating errand, can suddenly reappear in a recap email sent to the whole group.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Each time Stern’s contract has come up for renewal, the brash talk show host has helped stoke the rumor mill by talking about the negotiations and even teasing his possible departure.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
Jey seemed to be teasing a heel turn.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
In keeping with the sibling revelry on display all night, at one point Shultz sauntered over to older brother guitarist Brad Shultz and gave him a sweet brotherly shove after a bit of teasing.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
Each moment of humor or playful teasing becomes a small affirmation of connection, much like capitalization moments, that reinforces trust and a sense of belonging.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The back of the knee is a surprisingly erotic spot, sensitive to light touch and teasing.
—Essence, 11 Sep. 2025
For millennials, this constant critique may start to feel less like harmless teasing.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Kathy Griffin has apologized for her relentless teasing of Anna Nicole Smith in her early-aughts comedy acts.
—EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
The tension, the banter and the teasing built up for a truly seductive read.
—Taryn Finley, Refinery29, 26 Aug. 2025
Many brushed aside the cheeky clip as mischievous teasing between teammates at the time.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025
In the comments of his new TikTok teasing the piece, Harris also explained that Reyez — despite Cyrus’ previous involvement — has always been a part of the upcoming song.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 19 Aug. 2025
After a barrage of freaky, teasing scares, and a lot of ominous attention directed at Alex’s house, where something evil is clearly going on, Weapons gambles on providing solutions.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Spotify has been teasing the high-fidelity format for years.
—PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2025
On Instagram, Alcaraz — who defeated Jannik Sinner in four sets to win his second title at the prestigious tournament held in New York — shared a carousel of images, teasing the process of his hairstyle switch-up.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
The game doesn’t yet have a firm release date, with only a vague 2026 window teasing its launch on PlayStation 5 and PC.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
And in teasing the devices’ new camera capabilities, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak said Tuesday’s launch event was filmed on an iPhone 17 Pro.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
What might feel harmless in the moment, like teasing someone, chatting about lunch plans or venting about a frustrating errand, can suddenly reappear in a recap email sent to the whole group.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Each time Stern’s contract has come up for renewal, the brash talk show host has helped stoke the rumor mill by talking about the negotiations and even teasing his possible departure.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
Jey seemed to be teasing a heel turn.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
In keeping with the sibling revelry on display all night, at one point Shultz sauntered over to older brother guitarist Brad Shultz and gave him a sweet brotherly shove after a bit of teasing.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teasing
Noun
-
But both uniformed and civilian personnel are subject to social media standards outlined by the services, which prohibit bad online behavior such as bullying, discrimination and harassment.—
Anne Flaherty,
ABC News,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Hoadley was sentenced to three months in prison after a jury convicted him of destruction, alteration or falsification of records, tampering with a witness by harassment, and tampering with documents.—
Alex Brizee,
Idaho Statesman,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Harry brought his trademark humor and warmth to the awards, a ceremony honoring seriously ill children who have shown incredible courage, joking and making smiles all around.—
Erin Hill,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The pair let the news spread for a few moments -- then Stern jumped on to clarify that Cohen had been joking.—
Ahmad Hemingway,
ABC News,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In addition to Carter’s disqualification, Nolan Smith was flagged for taunting and roughing the quarterback.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Rodgers held up his hand to his ear, taunting the fans who were talking smack to him.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Carrie Bradshaw, frankly, has always been a mess — a beautiful, cringe-inducing, selfish, couture-wearing mess.—
Lyz Lenz,
Rolling Stone,
16 Aug. 2025
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
Verb
-
Student accused of mocking Charlie Kirk death Camryn Giselle Booker, a student at Texas Tech University, was arrested on charges of assault after an altercation with students mourning the death of Charlie Kirk.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the Pentagon is seeking to identify and potentially discipline anyone who has made posts celebrating or mocking Kirk’s death.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
My parents would argue about money all the time, because so much of it was spent so often on frivolous things.—
R29 Team,
Refinery29,
10 Sep. 2025
-
MacLaren is accused of holding a frivolous hearing in a case in which both the defense and prosecution agreed that the defendant should receive a diversion — that is, the criminal case against the defendant would be dismissed if the defendant met certain conditions for six months.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
9 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Pink Light takes the inspiring sports drama genre, where athletes have to overcome obstacles in their sport and personal lives, in a new direction as Browne tackles the worsening debate around trans athletes in the media and political spaces.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Cola's inspiring story touched thousands of hearts and, ultimately, led to her adoption.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Teasing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teasing. Accessed 19 Sep. 2025.
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