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
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
Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025
Along with Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters and Gillian Anderson’s characters are teased in the minute-and-a-half-long trailer, which also features a voice appearance from Bridges.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 5 Apr. 2025
Brian Welk, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2025
The tease of the return of the Punt Kick isn’t really enough.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tease
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
The monkeys did it Since the very first episode, people online have been speculating that the monkeys often seen in ambient shots of Thailand’s nature are to blame for the ultimate shootout teased in this season’s opening scene.
—Alli Rosenbloom, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025
Along with Leto, Greta Lee, Evan Peters and Gillian Anderson’s characters are teased in the minute-and-a-half-long trailer, which also features a voice appearance from Bridges.
—Glenn Garner, Deadline, 5 Apr. 2025
Noun
Fanboy bloggers are invited, the top trailers and new footage teases are touted, and a parade of A-listers take the stage at the Caesar’s Palace Colosseum with pre-written hype sessions about their upcoming films.
—Brian Welk, IndieWire, 31 Mar. 2025
The tease of the return of the Punt Kick isn’t really enough.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 26 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tease
Cite this Entry
“Tease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tease. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share