as in harassment
the act of making unwelcome intrusions upon another
stop that teasing before you make the baby cry
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in kidding
to make fun of in a good-natured way
likes to tease her twin brother about his seemingly endless string of girlfriends
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in mocking
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
grew up being teased because his parents were hog farmers
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in joking
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in taunting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Recent Examples of teasing
EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
The tension, the banter and the teasing built up for a truly seductive read.
—Taryn Finley, Refinery29, 26 Aug. 2025
Many brushed aside the cheeky clip as mischievous teasing between teammates at the time.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025
The humorous joshing and teasing that came out of their initial love just gets worse and worse.
—H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
In the comments of his new TikTok teasing the piece, Harris also explained that Reyez — despite Cyrus’ previous involvement — has always been a part of the upcoming song.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 19 Aug. 2025
After a barrage of freaky, teasing scares, and a lot of ominous attention directed at Alex’s house, where something evil is clearly going on, Weapons gambles on providing solutions.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 Aug. 2025
In a continuation series meant to at least feel somewhat familiar, these absences were deeply felt, and while some of it couldn’t be helped, the writers’ continuous teasing of communication between Carrie and Samantha made the latter’s no-show status all the more difficult to digest.
—Dan Heching, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
Communicating throughout the day, flirting, touching, teasing, eye contact, and slow build-up help the body feel safe, aroused, and seen.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 5 Aug. 2025
PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2025
On Instagram, Alcaraz — who defeated Jannik Sinner in four sets to win his second title at the prestigious tournament held in New York — shared a carousel of images, teasing the process of his hairstyle switch-up.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
The game doesn’t yet have a firm release date, with only a vague 2026 window teasing its launch on PlayStation 5 and PC.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
And in teasing the devices’ new camera capabilities, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak said Tuesday’s launch event was filmed on an iPhone 17 Pro.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
What might feel harmless in the moment, like teasing someone, chatting about lunch plans or venting about a frustrating errand, can suddenly reappear in a recap email sent to the whole group.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Each time Stern’s contract has come up for renewal, the brash talk show host has helped stoke the rumor mill by talking about the negotiations and even teasing his possible departure.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
Jey seemed to be teasing a heel turn.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
In keeping with the sibling revelry on display all night, at one point Shultz sauntered over to older brother guitarist Brad Shultz and gave him a sweet brotherly shove after a bit of teasing.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
Kathy Griffin has apologized for her relentless teasing of Anna Nicole Smith in her early-aughts comedy acts.
—EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
The tension, the banter and the teasing built up for a truly seductive read.
—Taryn Finley, Refinery29, 26 Aug. 2025
Many brushed aside the cheeky clip as mischievous teasing between teammates at the time.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025
The humorous joshing and teasing that came out of their initial love just gets worse and worse.
—H. Alan Scott, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Aug. 2025
In the comments of his new TikTok teasing the piece, Harris also explained that Reyez — despite Cyrus’ previous involvement — has always been a part of the upcoming song.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 19 Aug. 2025
After a barrage of freaky, teasing scares, and a lot of ominous attention directed at Alex’s house, where something evil is clearly going on, Weapons gambles on providing solutions.
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 15 Aug. 2025
In a continuation series meant to at least feel somewhat familiar, these absences were deeply felt, and while some of it couldn’t be helped, the writers’ continuous teasing of communication between Carrie and Samantha made the latter’s no-show status all the more difficult to digest.
—Dan Heching, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2025
Communicating throughout the day, flirting, touching, teasing, eye contact, and slow build-up help the body feel safe, aroused, and seen.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 5 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Spotify has been teasing the high-fidelity format for years.
—PC Magazine, 10 Sep. 2025
On Instagram, Alcaraz — who defeated Jannik Sinner in four sets to win his second title at the prestigious tournament held in New York — shared a carousel of images, teasing the process of his hairstyle switch-up.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
The game doesn’t yet have a firm release date, with only a vague 2026 window teasing its launch on PlayStation 5 and PC.
—Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 9 Sep. 2025
And in teasing the devices’ new camera capabilities, Senior Vice President of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak said Tuesday’s launch event was filmed on an iPhone 17 Pro.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2025
What might feel harmless in the moment, like teasing someone, chatting about lunch plans or venting about a frustrating errand, can suddenly reappear in a recap email sent to the whole group.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Each time Stern’s contract has come up for renewal, the brash talk show host has helped stoke the rumor mill by talking about the negotiations and even teasing his possible departure.
—Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2025
Jey seemed to be teasing a heel turn.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
In keeping with the sibling revelry on display all night, at one point Shultz sauntered over to older brother guitarist Brad Shultz and gave him a sweet brotherly shove after a bit of teasing.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 29 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teasing
Noun
-
The alleged harassment took place over the course of about 17 months, from February 2024 to July 2025, the Star-Telegram previously reported.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Lisa Nandy has voiced her disapproval at major TV players declining to pay annual fees to the UK industry’s new independent bullying and harassment complaints body.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Harry brought his trademark humor and warmth to the awards, a ceremony honoring seriously ill children who have shown incredible courage, joking and making smiles all around.—
Erin Hill,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
-
The pair let the news spread for a few moments -- then Stern jumped on to clarify that Cohen had been joking.—
Ahmad Hemingway,
ABC News,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In addition to Carter’s disqualification, Nolan Smith was flagged for taunting and roughing the quarterback.—
Zach Berman,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Rodgers held up his hand to his ear, taunting the fans who were talking smack to him.—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Carrie Bradshaw, frankly, has always been a mess — a beautiful, cringe-inducing, selfish, couture-wearing mess.—
Lyz Lenz,
Rolling Stone,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Pat Kelsey wasn't kidding about wanting the smoke.—
Leo Bertucci,
The Courier-Journal,
2 Sep. 2025
-
In 2019, Lebanese depositors discovered that their banking system had, in effect, just been kidding about those savings accounts.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The key to his performance is empathy — Early resists mocking Maddie or her struggles at every turn.—
Jourdain Searles,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Sep. 2025
-
This is all on top of the late-night TV and social media posts mocking him, countless Democrats campaigning against him, and endless news and opinion articles calling him everything from a felon to a rapist to a threat to democracy to Hitler.—
Matt Fleming,
Oc Register,
6 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The debate may indeed seem frivolous and one of luxury to many, but come next May, MIA will take it up a notch.—
Vinod Sreeharsha,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Justice Defenders operates with a combination of federal money and in-kind ABA contributions, using the funds to support human rights defenders facing criminal charges, frivolous lawsuits and harassment.—
Ray Long,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
Pink Light takes the inspiring sports drama genre, where athletes have to overcome obstacles in their sport and personal lives, in a new direction as Browne tackles the worsening debate around trans athletes in the media and political spaces.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
12 Sep. 2025
-
Cola's inspiring story touched thousands of hearts and, ultimately, led to her adoption.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Teasing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teasing. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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