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embarrass

 - 5 dictionary results

em⋅bar⋅rass

  [em-bar-uhs]
Use embarrass in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to cause confusion and shame to; make uncomfortably self-conscious; disconcert; abash: His bad table manners embarrassed her.
2. to make difficult or intricate, as a question or problem; complicate.
3. to put obstacles or difficulties in the way of; impede: The motion was advanced in order to embarrass the progress of the bill.
4. to beset with financial difficulties; burden with debt: The decline in sales embarrassed the company.
–verb (used without object)
5. to become disconcerted, abashed, or confused.
Origin:
1665–75; < F embarrasser < Sp embarazar < Pg embaraçar, equiv. to em- em- 1 + -baraçar, v. deriv. of baraço, baraça cord, strap, noose (of obscure orig.)

Related forms:
em⋅bar⋅rassed⋅ly  [em-bar-uhst-lee, -uh-sid-lee] , adverb
em⋅bar⋅rass⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. discompose, discomfit, chagrin. See confuse. 3. hamper, hinder.

Em⋅barras

  [am-braw]
–noun
a river in E Illinois, flowing S and SE to the Wabash River. 185 mi. (298 km) long.
Also, Embarrass.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To embarrass
em·bar·rass   (ěm-bār'əs)   
tr.v.   em·bar·rassed, em·bar·rass·ing, em·bar·rass·es

  1. To cause to feel self-conscious or ill at ease; disconcert: Meeting adults embarrassed the shy child.

  2. To involve in or hamper with financial difficulties.

  3. To hinder with obstacles or difficulties; impede.

  4. To complicate.

  5. To interfere with (a bodily function) or impede the function of (a body part).


[French embarrasser, to encumber, hamper, from Spanish embarazar, from Italian imbarazzare, from imbarazzo, obstacle, obstruction, from imbarrare, to block, bar : in-, in (from Latin; see en-1) + barra, bar (from Vulgar Latin *barra).]
em·bar'rassed·ly adv., em·bar'rass·ing·ly adv.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to cause someone to feel self-conscious and uneasy: were embarrassed by their child's tantrum; felt abashed at the extravagant praise; will be chagrined if my confident prediction fails; was discomfited by the sudden personal question; is disconcerted by sarcastic remarks; refuses to be fazed by your objections; isn't easily rattled before an audience.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

embarrass 
1672, "perplex, throw into doubt," from Fr. embarrasser, lit. "to block," from embarras "obstacle," from It. imbarrazzo, from imbarrare "to bar," from in- "into, upon" + V.L. *barra "bar." Meaning "make (someone) feel awkward" first recorded 1828. Original sense preserved in embarras de richesse (1751), from Fr. (1726), the condition of having more wealth than one knows what to do with.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: em·bar·rass
Pronunciation: im-'bar-&s
Function: transitive verb
: to impair the activity of (a bodily function) or the functionof (a bodily part) embarrassed by overeating> embarrasses the lungs>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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