Harass

• POS: Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: har=ass

CIDE DICTIONARY

Harass, v. t. [F. harasser; cf. OF. harace a basket made of cords, harace, harasse,a very heavy and large shield; or harer to set (a dog) on.].

 To fatigue; to tire with repeated and exhausting efforts; esp., to weary by importunity, teasing, or fretting; to cause to endure excessive burdens or anxieties; -- sometimes followed by out.  [1913 Webster]
"[Troops] harassed with a long and wearisome march."  [1913 Webster]
"Nature oppressed and harass'd out with care."  [1913 Webster]
"Vext with lawyers and harass'd with debt."

Syn. -- To weary; jade; tire; perplex; distress; tease; worry; disquiet; chafe; gall; annoy; irritate; plague; vex; molest; trouble; disturb; torment.

Harass, n. 

•  Devastation; waste.  Milton.  [1913 Webster]
•  Worry; harassment.  Byron.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Harass, disp. v.tr.
1 trouble and annoy continually or repeatedly.
2 make repeated attacks on (an enemy or opponent).

Derivative

harasser n. harassingly adv. harassment n.

Etymology

F harasser f. OF harer set a dog on

THESAURUS

Harass

abuse, afflict, aggravate, aggrieve, ail, annoy, badger, bait, be at, be the matter, beat, bedevil, befoul, beleaguer, beset, besiege, bewitch, blight, blockade, bludgeon, bluster, bluster out of, bother, bristle, browbeat, brown off, bug, bulldoze, bully, bullyrag, burn out, burn up, chevy, chivy, complicate matters, concern, condemn, corrupt, cow, crucify, curse, damage, debilitate, defile, demoralize, deprave, despoil, destroy, devil, disadvantage, discommode, discompose, disserve, distemper, distress, disturb, do a mischief, do evil, do ill, do in, do up, do wrong, do wrong by, dog, doom, dragoon, encircle, encompass, enervate, envelop, envenom, exasperate, exercise, exhaust, fag, fag out, fash, fatigue, flag, foray, frazzle, fret, get, get into trouble, gnaw, gripe, harm, harry, haunt, heckle, hector, hex, hound, huff, hunt, hurt, impair, inconvenience, infect, injure, intimidate, invest, irk, irritate, jade, jinx, knock out, knock up, lay siege to, maltreat, maraud, menace, miff, mistreat, molest, nag, needle, nettle, nudzh, oppress, outrage, overfatigue, overstrain, overtire, overweary, pain, peeve, perplex, persecute, perturb, pester, pick at, pick on, pique, plague, play havoc with, play hob with, pluck the beard, poison, pollute, poop, poop out, pother, prejudice, prostrate, provoke, pursue, put out, put to it, puzzle, ride, rile, roil, ruffle, savage, scathe, soften up, strain, stress, surround, systematically terrorize, taint, tease, terrorize, threaten, tire, tire out, tire to death, torment, torture, trouble, try, try the patience, tucker, tweak the nose, use up, vex, victimize, violate, weaken, wear, wear down, wear on, wear out, weary, wilt, wind, worry, wound, wreak havoc on, wrong

ROGET THESAURUS

Harass

Fatigue

VB be fatigued, yawn, droop, sink, flag, lose breath, lose wind, gasp, pant, puff, blow, drop, swoon, faint, succumb, fatigue, tire, weary, irk, flag, jade, harass, exhaust, knock up, wear out, prostrate, tax, task, strain, overtask, overwork, overburden, overtax, overstrain.

Painfulness

VB cause pain, occasion pain, give pain, bring pain, induce pain, produce pain, create pain, inflict pain, pain, hurt, wound, pinch, prick, gripe, pierce, lancinate, cut, hurt the feelings, wound the feelings, grate upon the feelings, grate upon the nerves, jar upon the feelings, wring the heart, pierce the heart, lacerate the heart, break the heart, rend the heart, make the heart bleed, tear the heart strings, rend the heart strings, draw tears from the eyes, sadden, make unhappy, plunge into sorrow, grieve, fash, afflict, distress, cut up, cut to the heart, displease, annoy, incommode, discompose, trouble, disquiet, faze, feaze, feeze, disturb, cross, perplex, molest, tease, tire, irk, vex, mortify, wherret, worry, plague, bother, pester, bore, pother, harass, harry, badger, heckle, bait, beset, infest, persecute, importune, wring, harrow, torment, torture, bullyrag, put to the rack, put to the question, break on the wheel, rack, scarify, cruciate, crucify, convulse, agonize, barb the dart, plant a dagger in the breast, plant a thorn in one's side, irritate, provoke, sting, nettle, try the patience, pique, fret, rile, tweak the nose, chafe, gall, sting to the quick, wound to the quick, cut to the quick, aggrieve, affront, enchafe, enrage, ruffle, sour the temper, give offense, maltreat, bite, snap at, assail, smite, sicken, disgust, revolt, nauseate, disenchant, repel, offend, shock, stink in the nostrils, go against the stomach, turn the stomach, make one sick, set the teeth on edge, go against the grain, grate on the ear, stick in one's throat, stick in one's gizzard, rankle, gnaw, corrode, horrify, appal, appall, freeze the blood, make the flesh creep, make the hair stand on end, make the blood curdle, make the blood run cold, make one shudder, haunt the memory, weigh on the heart, prey on the heart, weigh on the mind, prey on the mind, weigh on the spirits, prey on the spirits, bring one's gray hairs with sorrow to the grave, add a nail to one's coffin.

Malevolence

VB be malevolent, bear spleen, harbor spleen, bear a grudge, harbor a grudge, bear malice, betray the cloven foot, show the cloven foot, hurt, annoy, injure, harm, wrong, do harm to, do an ill office to, outrage, disoblige, malign, plant a thorn in the breast, molest, worry, harass, haunt, harry, bait, tease, throw stones at, play the devil with, hunt down, dragoon, hound, persecute, oppress, grind, maltreat, illtreat, ill-use, wreak one's malice on, do one's worst, break a butterfly on the wheel, dip one's hands in blood, imbrue one's hands in blood, have no mercy.