worry

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a strong feeling of anxiety

   My worry over the prospect of being fired started to stress me out.

2. 2
   verb

   be concerned with

   I worry about my grades

3. 3
   verb

   be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy

   I worry about my job

4. 4
   verb

   be on the mind of

   I worry about the second Germanic consonant shift

5. 5
   verb

   To be troubled; to give way to mental anxiety or doubt.

   So you go along for a long time / And nothing seems to worry your mind / But what it adds up to / It's the side effect / That finally gets to you

6. 6
   verb

   Disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress; to exercise.

   Your tone of voice worries me.

7. 7
   verb

   To harass; to irritate or distress.

   The President was worried into military action by persistent advisors.

8. 8
   verb

   To seize or shake by the throat, especially of a dog or wolf.

   Your dog’s been worrying sheep again.

Etymology

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.