Tease \Tease\ (t[=e]z), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Teased (t[=e]zd);
p. pr. & vb. n. Teasing.] [AS. t?san to pluck, tease; akin
to OD. teesen, MHG. zeisen, Dan. t[ae]se, t[ae]sse. [root]58.
Cf. Touse.]
1. To comb or card, as wool or flax. "Teasing matted wool."
--Wordsworth.
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2. To stratch, as cloth, for the purpose of raising a nap;
teasel.
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3. (Anat.) To tear or separate into minute shreds, as with
needles or similar instruments.
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4. To vex with importunity or impertinence; to harass, annoy,
disturb, or irritate by petty requests, or by jests and
raillery; to plague. --Cowper.
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He . . . suffered them to tease him into acts
directly opposed to his strongest inclinations.
--Macaulay.
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Syn: To vex; harass: annoy; disturb; irritate; plague;
torment; mortify; tantalize; chagrin.
Usage: Tease, Vex. To tease is literally to pull or
scratch, and implies a prolonged annoyance in respect
to little things, which is often more irritating, and
harder to bear, than severe pain. Vex meant originally
to seize and bear away hither and thither, and hence,
to disturb; as, to vex the ocean with storms. This
sense of the term now rarely occurs; but vex is still
a stronger word than tease, denoting the disturbance
or anger created by minor provocations, losses,
disappointments, etc. We are teased by the buzzing of
a fly in our eyes; we are vexed by the carelessness or
stupidity of our servants.
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Not by the force of carnal reason,
But indefatigable teasing. --Hudibras.
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In disappointments, where the affections have
been strongly placed, and the expectations
sanguine, particularly where the agency of
others is concerned, sorrow may degenerate into
vexation and chagrin. --Cogan.
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Tease tenon (Joinery), a long tenon at the top of a post to
receive two beams crossing each other one above the other.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Tease \Tease\, n.
One who teases or plagues. [Colloq.]
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
tease
n 1: someone given to teasing (as by mocking or stirring
curiosity) [syn: teaser, annoyer, vexer]
2: a seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men
[syn: coquette, flirt, vamp, vamper, minx, prickteaser]
3: the act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously
(especially by ridicule); provoking someone with
persistent annoyances; "he ignored their teases"; "his
ribbing was gentle but persistent" [syn: teasing, ribbing]
v 1: annoy persistently; "The children teased the boy because of
his stammer" [syn: badger, pester, bug, beleaguer]
2: harass with persistent criticism or carping; "The children
teased the new teacher"; "Don't ride me so hard over my
failure"; "His fellow workers razzed him when he wore a
jacket and tie" [syn: razz, rag, cod, tantalize, tantalise,
bait, taunt, twit, rally, ride]
3: to arouse hope, desire, or curiosity without satisfying
them; "The advertisement is intended to tease the
customers"; "She has a way of teasing men with her
flirtatious behavior"
4: tear into pieces; "tease tissue for microscopic
examinations"
5: raise the nap of (fabrics)
6: disentangle and raise the fibers of; "tease wool" [syn: tease
apart, loosen]
7: separate the fibers of; "tease wool" [syn: card]
8: mock or make fun of playfully; "the flirting man teased the
young woman"
9: ruffle (one's hair) by combing towards the ends towards the
scalp, for a full effect [syn: fluff]
WordNet (r) 2.0
210 Moby Thesaurus words for "tease":
Artful Dodger, Casanova, Don Juan, Machiavel, Machiavelli,
Machiavellian, actor, aggravate, annoy, annoyer, appeal,
apply pressure, attract, badger, badgerer, baffle, bafflement,
bait, balk, bamboozler, banter, be at, be attractive, beckon,
bedevil, befuddler, beguiler, beleaguer, beset, besiege,
betrayed hope, bilk, blandish, blasted expectation, blighted hope,
blow, bother, bristle, brown off, buffet, bug, bully, bullyrag,
burn up, buttonhole, cajole, cast down, chaff, charmer, chivy,
coax, comedown, counterfeiter, cross, cruel disappointment, dash,
dashed hope, deceiver, defeat, defeat expectation, deluder, devil,
disappoint, disappointment, discomfiture, discompose, disillusion,
disillusionment, dissatisfaction, dissatisfy, dissembler,
dissimulator, distemper, disturb, dodger, dog, double-dealer,
drive mad, dun, duper, enchanter, engage, entrancer, exasperate,
exercise, exert pressure, failure, faker, fallen countenance, fash,
fetch, fiasco, fizzle, foil, foiling, fooler, forger, forlorn hope,
frustrate, frustration, gay deceiver, get, gnaw, goad, gripe, guy,
harass, harasser, harrier, harry, haze, heckle, heckler, hector,
hoaxer, hope deferred, hound, hypnotizer, importune, interest,
invite, irk, irritate, jape, jest, jilt, jilter, jive, joke, joker,
jokester, jolly, josh, kid, kidder, leg-puller, let down, letdown,
manipulate, mesmerizer, miff, mirage, misleader, molest, nag,
nag at, needle, nettle, nudnik, nudzh, peeve, persecute,
persecutor, pest, pester, pesterer, pick on, pique, plagiarist,
plagiarizer, plague, plaguer, playactor, pluck the beard, ply,
pother, practical joker, press, pressure, provoke, push, put on,
rag, ragger, rally, razz, rib, ride, rile, roast, roil,
role-player, ruffle, sadist, seducer, setback, sore disappointment,
spoofer, summon, tantalization, tantalize, taunt, teaser, tempt,
thwart, tickle, titillate, torment, tormentor, try the patience,
tweak the nose, twit, urge, vex, wheedle, whet the appetite,
winkle, work, work on, worry
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
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