harasses

verb

present tense third-person singular of harass
as in wears
to use up all the physical energy of had been visibly harassed by the demands of the presidency

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of harasses Then Murphy takes a swing at a cop when the flatfoot harasses the two of them during a misunderstanding in an alleyway, and he’s arrested. — David Fear, Rolling Stone, 16 Sep. 2026 Although China’s maritime militia fleet regularly harasses other countries’ small and vulnerable fishing boats, the container ships and bulk carriers responsible for Taiwan’s commerce dwarf any Chinese militia vessel. — Eugene Gholz, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2026 Benedict and Sophie meet again in the countryside when Sophie protects a fellow maid after a group of Benedict’s acquaintances harasses her. — Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026 The report includes a screenshot that appears to show Accurso engaging with a comment from an Instagram account that frequently praises Hamas and harasses Jews. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 22 Jan. 2026 Independent groups like Human Rights Watch say the Venezuelan government intimidates human rights advocates, arrests and detains protesters and harasses journalists. — Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 14 Jan. 2026 Ibrahim comes and sits next to me and harasses me. — Tal Shalev, CNN Money, 4 Jan. 2026 Man harasses people with knife in Eastie Deigo Bautista-Perez, 36, of East Boston, is under arrest and facing charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of disorderly conduct after some alleged threatening behavior. — Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 30 Nov. 2025 The gun-owning Susan Lorincz isolates and relentlessly harasses and targets Ajike Owens’ family, calling police countless times about such infractions as kids playing on the lawn and them just being kids. — Randy Myers, Mercury News, 24 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harasses
  1. wears
  2. kills
  3. exhausts
  4. tires
  5. drains
Verb
  • To power paraglide, Hutzler wears an engine propeller backpack called a paramotor, which can typically cost between $8,000 and $9,000.
    — Yi-Jin Yu, ABC News, 1 Oct. 2026
  • In a particularly Ethan Hunt-ish twist, the actor wears a rubbery disguise—a potbellied suit, a scraggly gray comb-over, and a smattering of old-guy makeup.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of wears
Verb
  • Moments later, MacKinney storms in, kills one of Colum’s guards, and orders his men to round up the castle’s women and sequester them in the chapel.
    — Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Other competitors will likely put up barriers, which kills the fun of having AI at your beck and call.
    — The Week US, TheWeek, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of kills
Verb
  • If the low-breadth market finally exhausts itself and rolls over, your capital at risk is mathematically capped at that 3%.
    — Michael Khouw, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2026
  • If a bureaucratic process exhausts whatever time a citizen has available, then benefits are lost or rights are denied.
    — Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of exhausts
Verb
  • While the concept has always had Fox shocks, it was first seen with Maxxis rubber, and subsequently with Schwalbe Tacky Chan downhill tires on DT Swiss wheels last year.
    — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 23 Sep. 2026
  • More than 90% agreed or strongly agreed that scent work is enjoyable for dogs, tires them out and builds confidence in shy dogs.
    — Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 July 2026
Definition of tires
Verb
  • Until, suddenly, the life drains from his eyes, sometimes for barely a second, and returning before anyone else in the scene notices.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The all-in-one dock cleans the spinning dual mops with hot water, dries them with warm air to prevent musty smells, and automatically drains and refills the water tank.
    — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of drains

Browse Nearby Words

harassers
harasses
harassing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Harasses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harasses. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All