Meaning
To harass means to repeatedly disturb, annoy, or trouble someone in a way that is unpleasant or harmful. It can involve unwanted behavior such as teasing, pressuring, or bothering someone persistently.
Grammar and Usage
- Part of speech: Verb
- Verb type: Transitive (always needs an object)
Sentence structure:
- harass + somebody
- be harassed by/with + something
Common Phrases
- sexually harass (to make unwanted sexual advances or remarks)
- harass at work (to trouble someone repeatedly in the workplace)
- harass with questions (to annoy someone by asking too many questions)
- harassed look (an adjective form meaning tired, troubled, or stressed)
Collocations
- verb + harass: constantly harass, repeatedly harass
- adverb + harass: sexually harass, verbally harass
- noun + harass: workplace harassment, sexual harassment, constant harassment
- adjective + harass: harassed employee, harassed customer
Examples
- The children kept harassing the dog until it barked loudly.
- He was harassed at school for being different.
- The employee reported her manager for sexually harassing her.
- Stop harassing me with so many phone calls!
- The journalist was harassed online after publishing the article.
- The harassed mother finally lost her patience.
- Soldiers harassed the villagers during the conflict.
- She looked harassed after working all day under pressure.
Synonyms or Related
- annoy
- bother
- persecute
- pester
- torment
- trouble
- bully