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
Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
The company even bought a 15-second Super Bowl spot in February 2022, cryptically teasing the new car and setting off buzz in the automotive press.
—Kathy Gilsinan, WIRED, 24 Apr. 2024
After teasing the partnership, Epic Games, the developer behind the massively popular online video game best known for its Battle Royale mode, released more details Tuesday.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024
Despite his legal troubles, Martinez teased a possible run for Miami-Dade County sheriff in November, if he’s found not guilty.
—Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2024
The trailer, released last week, teases one classic Shayamalan twist: Hartnett’s character is the serial killer.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2024
The trailer teased additional connections to the MCU with brief shots of what appear to be Ant-Man’s helmet and skull, and one of Doctor Strange’s portals.
—Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
There are many questions about this, including how they were rescued and the immediate aftermath of their reintegration into society, which series director Karyn Kusama teased will be explored in season 3.
—Skyler Trepel, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024
In early January, Mel B teased that the Girls were planning yet another reunion this year to mark three decades of empowerment.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 21 Apr. 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
My redheaded children are definitely teased more for their hair color than the circumstances of their conception.
—Kwame Anthony Appiah, New York Times, 24 Apr. 2024
The company even bought a 15-second Super Bowl spot in February 2022, cryptically teasing the new car and setting off buzz in the automotive press.
—Kathy Gilsinan, WIRED, 24 Apr. 2024
After teasing the partnership, Epic Games, the developer behind the massively popular online video game best known for its Battle Royale mode, released more details Tuesday.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 23 Apr. 2024
Despite his legal troubles, Martinez teased a possible run for Miami-Dade County sheriff in November, if he’s found not guilty.
—Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 22 Apr. 2024
The trailer, released last week, teases one classic Shayamalan twist: Hartnett’s character is the serial killer.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 22 Apr. 2024
The trailer teased additional connections to the MCU with brief shots of what appear to be Ant-Man’s helmet and skull, and one of Doctor Strange’s portals.
—Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2024
There are many questions about this, including how they were rescued and the immediate aftermath of their reintegration into society, which series director Karyn Kusama teased will be explored in season 3.
—Skyler Trepel, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024
In early January, Mel B teased that the Girls were planning yet another reunion this year to mark three decades of empowerment.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 21 Apr. 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.
Dictionary Entries Near tease
Cite this Entry
“Tease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tease. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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
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