teased; teasing
1
a
: to make fun of : kid
b
: to disturb or annoy by persistent irritating or provoking especially in a petty or mischievous way
c
: to annoy with petty persistent requests : pester
also
: to obtain by repeated coaxing
d
: to persuade to acquiesce especially by persistent small efforts : coax
e
: to manipulate or influence as if by teasing
2
: to comb (hair) by taking hold of a strand and pushing the short hairs toward the scalp with the comb
3
: to tantalize especially by arousing desire or curiosity often without intending to satisfy it
4
a
: to disentangle and lay parallel by combing or carding
tease wool
b
: teasel
5
: to tear in pieces
especially
: to shred (a tissue or specimen) for microscopic examination
Synonyms
Examples of tease in a Sentence
Verb
He and his wife enjoy teasing each other about their different tastes in music.
The other children teased her because she was wearing braces.
He was always teased by his brother about being short.
Oh, don't get so angry. I was just teasing!
The boy's mother told him to stop teasing the dog.
Noun
a pretty girl who has the reputation of being a bit of a tease
The lower rate is just a tease to attract new customers.
Recent Examples on the Web
Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
In Las Vegas on April 10 for CinemaCon 2024, distributor Lionsgate and the filmmakers behind the adaptation of the video game series teased more details ahead of its Aug. 9 release.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
Additionally, the trailer teases interviews with Janelle Monáe, Ryan Tedder, Don Was, as well as the plethora of archival footage that’ll be featured in the film.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2024
The top portion of her hair was brushed back from her face and teased for a bit of volume at the front, then pinned at the crown, and the lower layers were styled in a cheeky, flirty little flick at the ends.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 8 Apr. 2024
Eilish has been speaking about the album for several weeks, and least week teased the album with a series of billboards in major cities across the world.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
On Sunday, Eilish teased the announcement in a video, backed by what is presumably a snippet from one of her new songs.
—Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
The Sixers began teasing at his return Thursday on social media, too.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
And Moderna teases its future beyond COVID-19 vaccines.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024
Finally, Danai Gurira’s sword-slinging samurai Michonne cut into season three, following a cliffhanger tease one season earlier, emerging as one of the most vital figures in Walking Dead lore.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Mar. 2024
Malone has been doing a long, slow tease of his country era, including a post last week featuring a brief snippet of a new collaboration with Luke Combs.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 21 Mar. 2024
But there was also truth in Apatow’s tease: In many ways, the rise of the snub can be traced to Hollywood publicists and modern Oscar electioneering.
—The New York Times Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
The couple seconds of silence after that gasp-inducing moment made for one of the best teases the show has ever aired.
—Erin Strecker, EW.com, 21 Feb. 2024
The website contains pre-save links for both Apple Music and Spotify, and one last tease: an ostensible release date, though the days and months keep changing rapidly with the year 2024 remaining fixed.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2024
Where Gyllenhaal’s smile teases, his body indulges.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024
As The Traitors season 2 approaches its home stretch, Cumming teases even more twists to come.
—Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 20 Feb. 2024
Verb
After teasing fans earlier Tuesday with a brief clip of Fleck laughing hysterically in a downpour, Phillips premiered the first trailer during a Warner Bros. panel at CinemaCon, the annual convention for theater owners and studios.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 10 Apr. 2024
In Las Vegas on April 10 for CinemaCon 2024, distributor Lionsgate and the filmmakers behind the adaptation of the video game series teased more details ahead of its Aug. 9 release.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
Additionally, the trailer teases interviews with Janelle Monáe, Ryan Tedder, Don Was, as well as the plethora of archival footage that’ll be featured in the film.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2024
The top portion of her hair was brushed back from her face and teased for a bit of volume at the front, then pinned at the crown, and the lower layers were styled in a cheeky, flirty little flick at the ends.
—Kara Nesvig, Allure, 8 Apr. 2024
Eilish has been speaking about the album for several weeks, and least week teased the album with a series of billboards in major cities across the world.
—Jem Aswad, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
On Sunday, Eilish teased the announcement in a video, backed by what is presumably a snippet from one of her new songs.
—Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 8 Apr. 2024
The Sixers began teasing at his return Thursday on social media, too.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
And Moderna teases its future beyond COVID-19 vaccines.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
Call it only a tease: By the weekend, it is expected to be chilly and rainy again.
—Rick Hurd, The Mercury News, 9 Apr. 2024
Finally, Danai Gurira’s sword-slinging samurai Michonne cut into season three, following a cliffhanger tease one season earlier, emerging as one of the most vital figures in Walking Dead lore.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Mar. 2024
Malone has been doing a long, slow tease of his country era, including a post last week featuring a brief snippet of a new collaboration with Luke Combs.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 21 Mar. 2024
But there was also truth in Apatow’s tease: In many ways, the rise of the snub can be traced to Hollywood publicists and modern Oscar electioneering.
—The New York Times Brooks Barnes, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024
The couple seconds of silence after that gasp-inducing moment made for one of the best teases the show has ever aired.
—Erin Strecker, EW.com, 21 Feb. 2024
The website contains pre-save links for both Apple Music and Spotify, and one last tease: an ostensible release date, though the days and months keep changing rapidly with the year 2024 remaining fixed.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 23 Mar. 2024
Where Gyllenhaal’s smile teases, his body indulges.
—Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Mar. 2024
As The Traitors season 2 approaches its home stretch, Cumming teases even more twists to come.
—Dana Rose Falcone, Peoplemag, 20 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tease.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Phrases Containing tease
Dictionary Entries Near tease
Cite this Entry
“Tease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tease. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
tease
1 of 2 verb
teased; teasing
1
: to untangle and lay parallel by combing or carding
tease wool
teaser
noun
tease
2 of 2 noun1
a
: the act of teasing
b
: the state of being teased
2
: one that teases
Medical Definition
tease
transitive verb
teased; teasing
: to tear in pieces
especially
: to shred (a tissue or specimen) for microscopic examination
More from Merriam-Webster on tease
Nglish: Translation of tease for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of tease for Arabic Speakers
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