tease

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To make fun of someone in a playful way.

   Her friends teased her about her new haircut.

2. 2
   verb

   To annoy someone again and again on purpose.

   The children teased the new boy until he started to cry.

3. 3
   verb

   To make someone want something by hinting at it without giving it.

   The advert is designed to tease customers with a glimpse of the new phone.

4. 4
   noun

   The act of playfully making fun of someone.

   He didn't mean to hurt you; it was just a bit of a tease.

From Middle English tesen, from Old English tǣsan (“to tease”), from Proto-West Germanic *taisijan (“to separate, tug, shred”).

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