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
Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 10 Jan. 2025
Pro Pickleball gets its first Video Game In mid July 2024, the PPA Pickleball video game, teased in Nov 2023, is officially released.
—Todd Boss, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 5 Jan. 2025
After winning the women’s Money in the Bank match on July 6, Stratton had a number of teases, but on the first episode of SmackDown on USA, Tiffy struck.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for tease 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Verb
Tesla has officially revealed the latest version of its Model Y crossover following images leaking online that teased the best-selling EV’s redesign.
—Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 10 Jan. 2025
Pro Pickleball gets its first Video Game In mid July 2024, the PPA Pickleball video game, teased in Nov 2023, is officially released.
—Todd Boss, Forbes, 10 Jan. 2025
Noun
The silly Golden Globes moment might be a tease of the type of comedy fans will get to see on Apple TV+’s The Studio, starring both Rogen and O’Hara, alongside Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz, and Chase Sui Wonders.
—Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 5 Jan. 2025
After winning the women’s Money in the Bank match on July 6, Stratton had a number of teases, but on the first episode of SmackDown on USA, Tiffy struck.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes, 4 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for tease
Dictionary Entries Near tease
Cite this Entry
“Tease.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tease. Accessed 18 Jan. 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
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