tease

verb
UK: /tiːz/
US: /tiːz/

  1. To laugh at someone or say unkind things to them, either because you are joking or because you want to upset them.

    1. Don't tease your brother, he's very sensitive about it.
    2. The older students often tease younger ones if they look or act differently.

  2. To try to persuade someone to do something, especially in a playful way.

    1. I was just teasing, I didn't mean to upset you.
    2. Stop teasing me about my new haircut if you actually like it so much.

  3. To gently touch or move something, especially hair, to make it look fuller.

    1. She used to tease her hair to give it more volume.
    2. The hairdresser decided to tease my hair a little to make the style more modern.

Synonyms

mock joke torment taunt jest badger kid
tease noun

  1. Someone who likes to make jokes about people or try to annoy them in a playful way.

    1. My brother is such a tease.
    2. She's a bit of a tease, always making jokes at other people's expense.

  2. An act of teasing someone.

    1. It was all just a tease, don't take it so seriously.
    2. His constant tease was starting to wear thin, as it was often offensive.

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "tease" in English means: To laugh at someone or say unkind things to them, either because you are joking or because you want to upset them., To try to persuade someone to do something, especially in a playful way., To gently touch or move something, especially hair, to make it look fuller..

The phonetic transcription of "tease" is /tiːz/ in British English and /tiːz/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "tease": mock, joke, torment, taunt, jest, badger, kid.

Example usage of "tease": "Don't tease your brother, he's very sensitive about it.". More examples on the page.