worry

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To feel anxious or uneasy about something that might happen.

   I worry about my job.

2. 2
   noun

   A feeling of anxiety, or something that causes it.

   My worry about being fired started to stress me out.

3. 3
   verb

   To make someone feel anxious or upset.

   Your tone of voice worries me.

4. 4
   verb

   (Of a dog or wolf) to seize and shake an animal by the throat.

   Your dog's been worrying sheep again.

Common collocations

• big worry Adjective + noun
• main worry Adjective + noun
• cause worry Verb + noun
• constant worry Adjective + noun
• hide one's worry Verb + noun
• share one's worry Verb + noun
• nagging worry Adjective + noun

From Middle English worien, werien, wirien, wirwen, wyryȝen (“to choke, strangle”), from Old English wyrġan, from Proto-Germanic *wurgijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *werǵʰ- (“bind, squeeze”). Cognate with Dutch worgen, wurgen, German würgen. Compare Latin urgere (“to press, push”), Sanskrit वृहति (vṛhati, “to tear out, pluck”), Lithuanian ver̃žti (“to string; squeeze”), Russian (poetic) отверза́ть (otverzátʹ, “to open”, literally “to untie”). Related to wring.

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