What is the meaning of teasing?

noun

  • The act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously (especially by ridicule); provoking someone with persistent annoyances.
    • usage: "he ignored their teases"; "his ribbing was gentle but persistent"
  • Playful vexation.
    • usage: "the parody was just a form of teasing"
  • The act of removing tangles from you hair with a comb.

verb

  • Annoy persistently.
    • usage: "The children teased the boy because of his stammer"
  • Harass with persistent criticism or carping.
    • usage: "The children teased the new teacher"; "Don't ride me so hard over my failure"; "His fellow workers razzed him when he wore a jacket and tie"
  • To arouse hope, desire, or curiosity without satisfying them.
    • usage: "The advertisement is intended to tease the customers"; "She has a way of teasing men with her flirtatious behavior"
  • Tear into pieces.
    • usage: "tease tissue for microscopic examinations"
  • Raise the nap of (fabrics.
  • Disentangle and raise the fibers of.
    • usage: "tease wool"
  • Separate the fibers of.
    • usage: "tease wool"
  • Mock or make fun of playfully.
    • usage: "the flirting man teased the young woman"
  • Ruffle (one's hair) by combing the ends towards the scalp, for a full effect.

adjective

  • Playfully vexing (especially by ridicule. ) "his face wore a somewhat quizzical almost impertinent air- Lawrence Durrell
  • Arousing sexual desire without intending to satisfy it.
    • usage: "her lazy teasing smile"
  • Causing irritation or annoyance.
    • usage: "tapping an annoying rhythm on his glass with his fork"; "aircraft noise is particularly bothersome near the airport"; "found it galling to have to ask permission"; "an irritating delay"; "nettlesome paperwork"; "a pesky mosquito"; "swarms of pestering gnats"; "a plaguey newfangled safety catch"; "a teasing and persistent thought annoyed him"; "a vexatious child"; "it is vexing to have to admit you are wrong"
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APAWordNet. (2010). teasing. Retrieved September 22, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/teasing/definitions/1185115
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "teasing" http://smartdefine.org/teasing/definitions/1185115 (accessed September 22, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, teasing, Smart Define, viewed 22 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/teasing/definitions/1185115>.
MLAWordNet. "teasing" 23 October 2010. Web. 22 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/teasing/definitions/1185115>
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