TEASE • DICCIONARIO INGLES.COM • Definition of Tease

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/tiz/ Listen

verb

Tease v. t. (past & past part. teased; pres. part. teasing)

1.

To comb or card, as wool or flax. "Teasing matted wool."

2.

To stratch, as cloth, for the purpose of raising a nap; teasel.

3.

(Anat.) To tear or separate into minute shreds, as with needles or similar instruments.

4.

To vex with importunity or impertinence; to harass, annoy, disturb, or irritate by petty requests, or by jests and raillery; to plague. "He... suffered them to tease him into acts directly opposed to his strongest inclinations."

Synonyms: To vex; harass: annoy; disturb; irritate; plague; torment; mortify; tantalize; chagrin. Tease, Vex. To tease is literally to pull or scratch, and implies a prolonged annoyance in respect to little things, which is often more irritating, and harder to bear, than severe pain. Vex meant originally to seize and bear away hither and thither, and hence, to disturb; as, to vex the ocean with storms. This sense of the term now rarely occurs; but vex is still a stronger word than tease, denoting the disturbance or anger created by minor provocations, losses, disappointments, etc. We are teased by the buzzing of a fly in our eyes; we are vexed by the carelessness or stupidity of our servants. "Not by the force of carnal reason, But indefatigable teasing." "In disappointments, where the affections have been strongly placed, and the expectations sanguine, particularly where the agency of others is concerned, sorrow may degenerate into vexation and chagrin."

Tease tenon (Joinery), a long tenon at the top of a post to receive two beams crossing each other one above the other.

noun

Tease n. One who teases or plagues. (Colloq.)

See images of 'Tease'

Etymology of 'Tease'

Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48

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"Tease" Quotes from Famous Books

... Jove, right and tight, away! No show now how best plough sea's brow, Wrinkling—breeze quick, tease thick, ere day, Clear sheer wave's sheen of green, I mean, With ...

— The Heptalogia • Algernon Charles Swinburne

... Humped Men; so that I knew that three were slain. And afterwards, they that lived, ran beyond the beast, and gat up into a second tree, and the one that was chased, did entice the creature to follow, and so did tease it once more to pass beneath the other men; and they very swiftly again to the back of the creature; and so from my sight, striking with the great stones, and the beast bellowing very loud and piteous. And how many of the Humped Men there were to the beginning ...

— The Night Land • William Hope Hodgson

... received for answer, "That it would be wholly useless, as they were creatures who never bred out if their own country." But any reply serves any common Italian, who is little disposed to investigate matters; and if you tease him with too much ratiocination, is apt to cry out, "Cosa serve sosistieare cosi? ci fara andare tutti matti[V]." They have indeed so many external amusements in the mere face of the country, that one is better inclined to pardon them, ...

— Observations and Reflections Made in the Course of a Journey through France, Italy, and Germany, Vol. I • Hester Lynch Piozzi

... wear just hand-me-down clothes of her sister's even if she is a twin," he explained, "and I always like to buy doll clothes for little girls who don't tease for new things. But there's one thing sure about this parasol," he added, "it's not ...

— Mary Jane: Her Book • Clara Ingram Judson

... "behold him go by, The fool who hath lost all he had!" For only to tease can delight and can please The ill-nurtured ...

— More Bywords • Charlotte M. Yonge

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