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harass

 - 4 dictionary results

ha⋅rass

  [huh-ras, har-uhs]
–verb (used with object)
1. to disturb persistently; torment, as with troubles or cares; bother continually; pester; persecute.
2. to trouble by repeated attacks, incursions, etc., as in war or hostilities; harry; raid.
Use harass in a Sentence
Origin:
1610–20; < F, MF harasser to harry, harass, v. der. of harace, harache (in phrase courre a la harace pursue) = hare cry used to urge dogs on (< Frankish *hara here, from this side; cf. OHG hera, MD hare) + -asse aug. or pejorative suffix < L -ācea

Related forms:
ha⋅rass⋅a⋅ble, adjective
ha⋅rass⋅er, noun
ha⋅rass⋅ing⋅ly, adverb
ha⋅rass⋅ment, noun

Synonyms:
1. badger, vex, plague, hector torture. See worry. 2. molest.

Pronunciation note:
harass, a 17th-century French borrowing, has traditionally been pronounced [har-uhs] , with stress on the first syllable. A newer pronunciation, [huh-ras], has developed in North American (but not British) English. While this newer pronunciation is sometimes criticized by older educated speakers, it has become the more common one in the U.S., especially among younger educated speakers, some of whom have only minimal familiarity with the older form.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To harass
ha·rass   (hə-rās', hār'əs)   
tr.v.   ha·rassed, ha·rass·ing, ha·rass·es

  1. To irritate or torment persistently.

  2. To wear out; exhaust.

  3. To impede and exhaust (an enemy) by repeated attacks or raids.


[French harasser, possibly from Old French harer, to set a dog on, from hare, interj. used to set a dog on, of Germanic origin.]
ha·rass'er n., ha·rass'ment n.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to trouble persistently or incessantly. Harass and harry imply systematic persecution by besieging with repeated annoyances, threats, or demands: The landlord harassed tenants who were behind in their rent. A rude customer had harried the storekeeper.
Hound suggests unrelenting pursuit to gain a desired end: Reporters hounded the celebrity for an interview.
To badger is to nag or tease persistently: The child badgered his parents for a new bicycle.
To pester is to inflict a succession of petty annoyances: "How she would have pursued and pestered me with questions and surmises" (Charlotte Brontë).
Plague refers to a problem likened to an epidemic disease: "As I have no estate, I am plagued with no tenants or stewards" (Henry Fielding).
Usage Note: Educated usage appears to be evenly divided on the pronunciation of harass. In our 1987 survey 50 percent of the Usage Panel preferred stressing the first syllable, while 50 percent preferred stressing the second. Curiously, the Panelists' comments appear to indicate that each side regards itself as an embattled minority.
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

harass 
1618, from Fr. harasser "tire out, vex," possibly from O.Fr. harer "set a dog on," and perhaps blended with O.Fr. harier "to harry, draw, drag." Originally "to lay waste, devastate," sense of "distress" is from 1656.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: ha·rass
Pronunciation: h&-'ras, 'har-&s
Function: transitive verb
Etymology: Middle French harasser to exhaust, fatigue, from harer to set a dog on, from Old French hare, interjection used to incite dogs
: to subject persistently and wrongfully to annoying, offensive, or troubling behavior harassing a debtor> —see also SEXUAL HARASSMENT —ha·rass·er noun —ha·rass·ment noun
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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