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 joking
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in taunting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
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
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of teasing
Stephen Siff, The Conversation, 26 Nov. 2025
My whole hair life has always revolved around bangs, a lot of teasing, and that ’60s hairdo.
—Ranyechi Udemezue, Vogue, 24 Nov. 2025
Twice early in the second half, Minteh provided teasing inswinging crosses to the back post for Gomez, who met the first of those, but with a poor connection.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2025
After premiering Die My Love at Cannes earlier this year, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson brought their psychological drama to New York on Saturday — along with their signature teasing of each other.
—Kirsten Chuba, HollywoodReporter, 2 Nov. 2025
After three years of teasing, the fifth season of Stranger Things went into production at the start of 2024 and will finally be released soon in three volumes.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 30 Oct. 2025
As her weight rose, so did the teasing and bullying, crushing her confidence and feeding a harsh inner critic.
—Michele Steeb, Oc Register, 29 Oct. 2025
Richter and Slater were hard at work in the rehearsal studio this week, as the comedian and pro dancer shared a TikTok teasing some of the technique that viewers can expect to see in their routine.
—Jordana Comiter, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
These special relationships can be filled with everything from fun and joy to cruel pranks and teasing.
—Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 9 Oct. 2025
Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 8 Jan. 2026
On Wednesday, Duff ramped up the anticipation for her new album, teasing a new song about dive bar hookups, inconvenient roommates, and a once-red-hot romance fizzling into the tombs of relationship graveyards.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 7 Jan. 2026
The Taylor Sheridan series that follows the real-life oil boom happening in West Texas was renewed for a third season just two weeks after season 2 premiered, and Ali Larter is teasing what's to come for the Norris crew.
—Julia Moore, PEOPLE, 5 Jan. 2026
Verbal bullying can mean teasing, taunting, name-calling or threatening another child out loud or in writing.
—Dr. Mahvash Madni, Boston Herald, 4 Jan. 2026
The band posted a message to members teasing March 20, 2026 for …something.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
Netflix revealed a trailer for the final episode on Tuesday, teasing what’s to come.
—Katie Campione, Deadline, 30 Dec. 2025
Quinn has been teasing the project on social media throughout the weekend.
—Nicole Fell, HollywoodReporter, 29 Dec. 2025
In a world where most superhero films have become CGI slurry, The Incredibles remains an original genre take that gives us beautiful family dynamics instead of post-credits teasing.
—Chris Snellgrove, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Dec. 2025
Noun
Lessons in grit At training camp, Plimpton faced the teasing of players but earned respect by facing the brutality of sport and by persisting despite the inevitability of pain.
—Verb
Viewers see painful flashbacks throughout the show of classmates teasing Kelly about being overweight and daring her to drink urine.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for teasing
Noun
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Zabik is facing two counts of inciting destruction of life or property, menacing, and harassment.—
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And Kelly keeps cashing in, converting Hegseth’s harassment into campaign donations.—
Verb
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Turn around and make a lighthearted comment to the person behind you, maybe joking about the wait time, Simon-Thomas suggests.—
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Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone exchanged texts on the morning the Screen Actors Guild nominations were announced this week, joking about the outcome after Stone landed a nod and Lawrence did not.—
Verb
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Pittsburgh appeared to go three-and-out on its second drive, but Cleveland's Rayshawn Jenkins was called for taunting.—
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While negligible to his overall earnings, the penalty fits the league’s recent crackdown on celebrations and taunting, as several players were fined earlier this season for similar actions.—
Adjective
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Thanksgiving travel is stressful every year, but the 2025 edition definitely has the potential to be extra jitter-inducing.—
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The live show looms, nerve-inducing, practically inviting a stress bond.—
Verb
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Literally toxic lesbians — kidding.—
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Just kidding - but honestly not sold on him being the best player on a championship caliber team.—
Verb
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Ricky Gervais has hosted the Golden Globes five times, making Hollywood sweat with his take-no-prisoners approach to jokes mocking showbiz.—
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Now Sweeney, 75, is breaking his silence on a decades-long feud with Chevy Chase after Chase proposed Sweeney appear in an SNL sketch mocking the AIDS epidemic.—
Adjective
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Flirting feels fun, not frivolous, and your heart knows exactly when to lean in.—
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The predictive duel for Best Picture The Globes are regarded by some as a frivolous event in which celebrities care less about the awards and more about the drinks at their tables.—
Adjective
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Government responses to homelessness have been anything but inspiring.—
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These kind of creative environments are so incredibly inspiring to me.—
Cite this Entry
“Teasing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teasing. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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