Tease — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

someone given to teasing (as by mocking or stirring curiosity)

a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/tˈiːz/

🇬🇧British English

/tˈiːz/

🇮🇳Indian English

/tˈiːz/

1 syllable Say it as /tˈiːz/.

Examples

he ignored their teases
his ribbing was gentle but persistent
The children teased the boy because of his stammer

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

beleaguer bait ride razz taunt fluff prickteaser twit vamp teaser tantalize annoyer rag bug tantalise loosen teasing coquette pester rally cod minx tantalization ribbing

Parts of Speech

noun	someone given to teasing (as by mocking or stirring curiosity)
noun	a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men
noun	the act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously (especially by ridicule); provoking someone with persistent annoyances “he ignored their teases”
verb	annoy persistently “The children teased the boy because of his stammer”
verb	harass with persistent criticism or carping “The children teased the new teacher”
verb	to arouse hope, desire, or curiosity without satisfying them “The advertisement is intended to tease the customers”
verb	tear into pieces “tease tissue for microscopic examinations”
verb	raise the nap of (fabrics)
verb	disentangle and raise the fibers of “tease wool”
verb	separate the fibers of “tease wool”
verb	mock or make fun of playfully “the flirting man teased the young woman”
verb	ruffle (one's hair) by combing the ends towards the scalp, for a full effect

Word Forms

tease	verb	harass with persistent criticism or carping
annoy	verb	cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
vex	verb	cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
coquette	verb	talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions
flirtatious	adjective	like a coquette
flirt	verb	talk or behave amorously, without serious intentions
vamp	verb	act seductively with (someone)
rib	verb	subject to laughter or ridicule
tantalize	verb	harass with persistent criticism or carping
tease	noun	the act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously (especially by ridicule); provoking someone with persistent annoyances
teaser	noun	someone given to teasing (as by mocking or stirring curiosity)
badgerer	noun	someone who tries to embarrass you with gibes and questions and objections
pesterer	noun	a persistently annoying person
teasing	noun	the act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously (especially by ridicule); provoking someone with persistent annoyances
razzing	noun	a cry or noise made to express displeasure or contempt
tantalizer	noun	someone who tantalizes; a tormentor who offers something desirable but keeps it just out of reach
Tantalus	noun	(Greek mythology) a wicked king and son of Zeus; condemned in Hades to stand in water that receded when he tried to drink and beneath fruit that receded when he reached for it
tantalization	noun	the act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously (especially by ridicule); provoking someone with persistent annoyances
tantaliser	noun	someone who tantalizes; a tormentor who offers something desirable but keeps it just out of reach
taunting	noun	aggravation by deriding or mocking or criticizing
taunt	noun	aggravation by deriding or mocking or criticizing
twit	noun	aggravation by deriding or mocking or criticizing

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

necken

jemand, der dazu neigt, zu necken (z. B. indem er sich lustig macht oder Neugier weckt)

🇫🇷French

taquiner

quelqu'un qui a tendance à taquiner (comme en se moquant ou en attisant la curiosité)

🇪🇸Spanish

fastidiar

alguien dado a las burlas (como burlándose o provocando curiosidad)

🇮🇹Italian

burlone

qualcuno dedito alla presa in giro (come deridendo o suscitando curiosità)

🇳🇱Dutch

plagen

iemand die graag plaagt (zoals door te spotten of nieuwsgierigheid op te wekken)

🇵🇹Portuguese

provocar

alguém dado a provocações (como zombar ou despertar curiosidade)

🇷🇺Russian

дразнить

кто-то, склонный дразнить (например, насмехаясь или возбуждая любопытство)

India

🇮🇳Hindi

चिढ़ाना

किसी को चिढ़ाने के लिए दिया गया (जैसे मज़ाक उड़ाना या जिज्ञासा जगाना)

🇧🇩Bengali

উত্যক্ত করা

কাউকে উত্যক্ত করার জন্য দেওয়া হয়েছে (যেমন উপহাস করে বা কৌতূহল নাড়া দিয়ে)

🇮🇳Tamil

கிண்டல்

கிண்டல் செய்ய கொடுக்கப்பட்ட ஒருவர் (கேலி செய்வது அல்லது ஆர்வத்தைத் தூண்டுவது)

🇮🇳Telugu

ఆటపట్టించు

ఎవరైనా ఆటపట్టించడం (ఎగతాళి చేయడం లేదా ఉత్సుకతను రేకెత్తించడం ద్వారా)

🇮🇳Marathi

चिडवणे

एखाद्याला चिडवायला दिले (जसे थट्टा करून किंवा कुतूहल निर्माण करून)

🇮🇳Gujarati

પીંજવું

કોઈને ચીડવવા માટે આપવામાં આવે છે (જેમ કે ઠેકડી ઉડાવીને અથવા ઉત્સુકતાને ઉત્તેજીત કરીને)

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕೀಟಲೆ ಮಾಡು

ಯಾರಾದರೂ ಕೀಟಲೆ ಮಾಡಲು ನೀಡಲಾಗಿದೆ (ಅಪಹಾಸ್ಯ ಅಥವಾ ಕುತೂಹಲ ಕೆರಳಿಸುವ ಮೂಲಕ)

🇮🇳Malayalam

കളിയാക്കുക

കളിയാക്കാൻ നൽകിയ ഒരാൾ (പരിഹസിക്കുകയോ ജിജ്ഞാസ ഉണർത്തുകയോ ചെയ്യുന്നത് പോലെ)

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਛੇੜਛਾੜ

ਕਿਸੇ ਨੂੰ ਛੇੜਨ ਲਈ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਗਿਆ (ਜਿਵੇਂ ਕਿ ਮਜ਼ਾਕ ਉਡਾਉਣ ਜਾਂ ਉਤਸੁਕਤਾ ਪੈਦਾ ਕਰਕੇ)

🇵🇰Urdu

چھیڑنا

کسی کو چھیڑنے کے لیے دیا گیا (جیسا کہ تمسخر اڑانے یا تجسس پیدا کرکے)

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

逗

喜欢取笑的人（例如通过嘲笑或激发好奇心）

🇯🇵Japanese

からかう

（嘲笑したり、好奇心を刺激したりすることによって）からかうことに慣れている人

🇰🇷Korean

놀리다

(호기심을 자극하거나 조롱함으로써) 놀리는 사람

🇻🇳Vietnamese

trêu chọc

ai đó thích trêu chọc (như bằng cách chế nhạo hoặc khuấy động sự tò mò)

🇹🇭Thai

หยอกล้อ

คนที่ถูกแกล้ง (เช่นโดยการเยาะเย้ยหรือกระตุ้นความอยากรู้อยากเห็น)

🇮🇩Indonesian

menggoda

seseorang yang suka menggoda (seperti dengan mengejek atau membangkitkan rasa ingin tahu)

🇵🇭Filipino

panunukso

isang taong bigay sa panunukso (tulad ng sa pamamagitan ng panunuya o pagpukaw ng kuryusidad)

🇲🇾Malay

mengusik

seseorang yang suka mengusik (seperti mengejek atau membangkitkan rasa ingin tahu)

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

يضايق

شخص معتاد على المضايقة (كما هو الحال من خلال السخرية أو إثارة الفضول)

🇮🇷Persian

اذیت کردن

کسی که به طعنه زدن (مثل تمسخر یا تحریک کنجکاوی)

🇹🇷Turkish

alay etmek

alay etmeye yatkın biri (alay ederek veya merak uyandırarak)

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְהַקְנִיט

מישהו שנתן להתגרות (כמו על ידי לעג או עוררת סקרנות)

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'tease'?

The primary meaning of 'tease' is 'someone given to teasing (as by mocking or stirring curiosity)'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'tease' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'tease' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'tease' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'tease' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'tease' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'tease' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'tease' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'tease' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'tease' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'tease' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted