View synonyms for harass

harass

[ huh-ras, har-uhs ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

to disturb or bother persistently; torment, as with troubles or cares; pester:
He stays up late, harassed with doubt and anxiety.
Synonyms: annoy, hector, plague, vex, badger
to intimidate or coerce, as with persistent demands or threats:
Apparently a parent has been harassing the school principal with late-night phone calls.
to subject to unwelcome sexual advances:
I was harassed by my boss many years ago.
to trouble by repeated attacks, incursions, etc., as in war or hostilities; harry; raid.
Synonyms: beset, besiege

harass

/ ˈhærəs; həˈræs /

verb

tr to trouble, torment, or confuse by continual persistent attacks, questions, etc

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Pronunciation Note

harass , a 17th-century borrowing from French, has traditionally been pronounced in English as [har, -, uh, s], with stress on the first syllable. A newer pronunciation, [h, uh, -, ras], has developed in North American (but not British) English and has become the more common one in the U.S., especially among younger speakers.

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Derived Forms

ˈharassing, adjectivenoun
ˈharassment, noun
ˈharassed, adjective

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Other Words From

ha·rassa·ble adjective
ha·rasser noun
ha·rassing·ly adverb
ha·rassment noun
over·harass verb (used with object)
un·ha·rassed adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of harass¹

First recorded in 1610–20; from French, Middle French harasser “to harry, harass,” verbal derivative of harace, harache (in phrase courre a la harace “pursue”), equivalent to hare “cry used to urge dogs on” (from Frankish hara (unattested) “here, from this side”; compare Old High German hera, Middle Dutch hare ) + -asse augmentative or pejorative suffix, from Latin -ācea

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Word History and Origins

Origin of harass¹

C17: from French harasser, variant of Old French harer to set a dog on, of Germanic origin; compare Old High German harēn to cry out

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Synonym Study

See worry.

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Example Sentences

Between the high cost of housing, the unhelpful unemployment offices and the cops finding excuses to harass him, Paul can’t find his footing, let alone his way home.

From Los Angeles Times

Johanna said: "I got harassed in my first job when I was washing pots, and then I got harassed later on in life as well."

From BBC

Mr Nadir was charged on Wednesday with using a carriage service to threaten, menace or harass, and with possessing a prohibited drug.

From BBC

"Shawn Carter's investigators have repeatedly harassed, threatened and harangued this poor woman for weeks, trying to intimidate her and make her recant her story," Mr Buzbee said.

From BBC

The Pakistani government says it ensures "no one is mistreated or harassed during the repatriation process".

From BBC

Related Words

Harare harassment

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