HARASS

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does harass mean? 

• HARASS (verb)
  The verb HARASS has 2 senses:

1. annoy continually or chronically

2. exhaust by attacking repeatedly

  Familiarity information: HARASS used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HARASS (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they harass    ... he / she / it harasses   
Past simple: harassed   
Past participle: harassed   
-ing form: harassing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Annoy continually or chronically

Classified under:

Verbs of feeling

Synonyms:

beset; chevvy; chevy; chivvy; chivy; harass; harry; hassle; molest; plague; provoke

Context example:

This man harasses his female co-workers

Hypernyms (to "harass" is one way to...):

annoy; bother; chafe; devil; get at; get to; gravel; irritate; nark; nettle; rag; rile; vex (cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "harass"):

goad; needle (annoy or provoke, as by constant criticism)

bedevil; crucify; dun; frustrate; rag; torment (treat cruelly)

haze (harass by imposing humiliating or painful tasks, as in military institutions)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s somebody

Derivation:

harasser (a persistent tormentor)

harassment (the act of tormenting by continued persistent attacks and criticism)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Exhaust by attacking repeatedly

Classified under:

Verbs of fighting, athletic activities

Context example:

harass the enemy

Hypernyms (to "harass" is one way to...):

aggress; attack (take the initiative and go on the offensive)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

harasser (a persistent attacker)

 Context examples 

Partly because it is his nature—and we can none of us help our nature; and partly because he has painful thoughts, no doubt, to harass him, and make his spirits unequal.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

Why should he go to India, except to harass me?

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

To be sure, I may just as well go as not, for I am of no use at home—am I? and it only harasses me.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

To think of such a gallant service, and I engaged in harassing the market-boats, the miserable cabbage-carriers of St. Luccars!

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A subtype of delusional disorder characterized by the central delusional theme that the individual is being malevolently treated (for example, maligned, harassed, conspired against, poisoned or drugged) by another person or group.

(Persecutory Type Delusional Disorder, NCI Thesaurus)

I do not know how far Sherlock Holmes took any sleep that night, but when I came down to breakfast I found him pale and harassed, his bright eyes the brighter for the dark shadows round them.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

They judged it best that Lady Bertram should not be harassed by alarms which, it was to be hoped, would prove unfounded; but there was no reason why Fanny should not know the truth.

(Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen)

Yes, I know exactly what you will say: Friday, went to the Lower Rooms; wore my sprigged muslin robe with blue trimmings—plain black shoes—appeared to much advantage; but was strangely harassed by a queer, half-witted man, who would make me dance with him, and distressed me by his nonsense.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

The hour spent at Millcote was a somewhat harassing one to me.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

I found it rather harassing to live in this state of siege, but was too much afraid of Mrs. Crupp to see any way out of it.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)