tease
Collocations
6(verb.)
ADV
mercilessly | a little, gently, lightly
VERB + TEASE
used to
PREP
about
The other kids at school would tease her about wearing glasses.
with
The older boys would tease him with jokes about his new glasses.
PHRASES
be just/only teasing
I know you're upset, but I was just teasing when I said that about your cooking.
Definitions
verb
To separate the fibres of (a fibrous material).
To comb (originally with teasels) so that the fibres all lie in one direction.
To backcomb.
To poke fun at, either cruelly or affectionately in a playful way.
The difference between teasing and taunting is like the difference between kissing and spitting. The ingredients are the same; it is the emotion that determines whether it is pleasing or repellent.... Proper teasing says, in effect, "I know all your little oddities and faults, but as they are part of what makes you special, I find them charming." Taunting, in contrast, makes only the harsh statement, "I have noticed what is wrong with you."
The beast in the past has done horrible stuff / And his victims were left quite displeased / No one knows what he's so angry about / Maybe once in third grade he was teased
To provoke or disturb; to annoy.
Not by the force of carnal reason, / But indefatigable teasing.
I am myself, the sweetest temper'd man alive, and hate a teasing temper; and so I tell her a hundred Times a day—
noun
One who teases.
A single act of teasing.
One who deliberately arouses others (usually men) sexually with no intention of satisfying that arousal.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
noun — a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men
noun — someone given to teasing (as by mocking or stirring curiosit
- teaser
- annoyer
- vexer
verb — ruffle (one's hair) by combing the ends towards the scalp, f
verb — separate the fibers of
verb — disentangle and raise the fibers of
Antonyms
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
6The difference between teasing and taunting is like the difference between kissing and spitting. The ingredients are the same; it is the emotion that determines whether it is pleasing or repellent....
WiktionaryThe beast in the past has done horrible stuff / And his victims were left quite displeased / No one knows what he's so angry about / Maybe once in third grade he was teased
WiktionaryNot by the force of carnal reason, / But indefatigable teasing.
WiktionaryShe's a tease.
Tatoeba · #374138Don't tease me.
Tatoeba · #2021204You're a tease.
Tatoeba · #2218044