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 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
1
as in joking
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
2
as in taunting
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Recent Examples of teasing
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
Having a big back refers to someone who's physically big, or who draws gentle teasing for hogging food or being lazy.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
Each moment of humor or playful teasing becomes a small affirmation of connection, much like capitalization moments, that reinforces trust and a sense of belonging.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The back of the knee is a surprisingly erotic spot, sensitive to light touch and teasing.
—Essence, 11 Sep. 2025
For millennials, this constant critique may start to feel less like harmless teasing.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Kathy Griffin has apologized for her relentless teasing of Anna Nicole Smith in her early-aughts comedy acts.
—EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Many brushed aside the cheeky clip as mischievous teasing between teammates at the time.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025
Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2025
Samsung’s first Galaxy XR headset is now official, but that hasn’t stopped the company teasing future AR products.
—PC Magazine, 22 Oct. 2025
Since then, Giglio has continued to document their renovation journey, teasing followers with progress updates and the upcoming reveal of their brand-new deck.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
However, his Inter-supporting friends had plenty of fun teasing him about his team’s struggles — especially since Inter performed much better, competing for both the Serie A title (Italy’s top league) and the Champions League (Europe’s most prestigious competition).
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Climbing has always attracted a loyal base of diehards, thanks to the sport’s addictive combination of brain-teasing puzzles, playful agility, and, not least of all, its adrenaline-pumping element of danger.
—Kelli María Korducki, HubSpot, 17 Oct. 2025
Please, more of Isabella lightly teasing Marty about his tendency to flagellate himself while considering the agony of the human condition.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
Now, as Meadow Lane is set to officially open its doors this fall, Nussdorf is just excited for people to finally try the food, especially after more than a year of teasing his TikTok followers.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
The final season of Stranger Things is coming soon, and co-creator Ross Duffer is teasing fans with the runtimes for the first batch of episodes.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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
Having a big back refers to someone who's physically big, or who draws gentle teasing for hogging food or being lazy.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
Each moment of humor or playful teasing becomes a small affirmation of connection, much like capitalization moments, that reinforces trust and a sense of belonging.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
The back of the knee is a surprisingly erotic spot, sensitive to light touch and teasing.
—Essence, 11 Sep. 2025
For millennials, this constant critique may start to feel less like harmless teasing.
—Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Sep. 2025
Kathy Griffin has apologized for her relentless teasing of Anna Nicole Smith in her early-aughts comedy acts.
—EW.com, 27 Aug. 2025
Many brushed aside the cheeky clip as mischievous teasing between teammates at the time.
—Doha Madani, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Bieber made his debut on Twitch yesterday with a stream that included footage of the singer playing basketball, shooting pool with friends and teasing his upcoming Coachella dates.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 23 Oct. 2025
Samsung’s first Galaxy XR headset is now official, but that hasn’t stopped the company teasing future AR products.
—PC Magazine, 22 Oct. 2025
Since then, Giglio has continued to document their renovation journey, teasing followers with progress updates and the upcoming reveal of their brand-new deck.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
However, his Inter-supporting friends had plenty of fun teasing him about his team’s struggles — especially since Inter performed much better, competing for both the Serie A title (Italy’s top league) and the Champions League (Europe’s most prestigious competition).
—Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025
Climbing has always attracted a loyal base of diehards, thanks to the sport’s addictive combination of brain-teasing puzzles, playful agility, and, not least of all, its adrenaline-pumping element of danger.
—Kelli María Korducki, HubSpot, 17 Oct. 2025
Please, more of Isabella lightly teasing Marty about his tendency to flagellate himself while considering the agony of the human condition.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
Now, as Meadow Lane is set to officially open its doors this fall, Nussdorf is just excited for people to finally try the food, especially after more than a year of teasing his TikTok followers.
—Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2025
The final season of Stranger Things is coming soon, and co-creator Ross Duffer is teasing fans with the runtimes for the first batch of episodes.
—Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for teasing
Noun
-
Crypto crimes once contained to online harassment now often include kidnapping, extortion, and armed threats.—
Jesse Hyde,
Rolling Stone,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Cybernews found that users sent an average of 107 messages to their AI partners, creating a digital footprint that could be exploited for identity theft, harassment, or blackmail.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Mackey reached out to Warren Buffett, who declined, joking about the poor brand fit between his Dairy Queen ownership and his junk food preferences.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Altman wasn't joking about the price of politeness.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Gilligan wants to see people from across the partisan spectrum interact face to face, instead of taunting each other online.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
27 Oct. 2025
-
Running back Javonte Williams was fined $16,830 for unnecessary roughness (use of the helmet), center Brock Hoffman was fined $6,111 for taunting, and safety Donovan Wilson was fined $23,186 for unnecessary roughness (use of the helmet).—
Michael Gallagher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Carrie Bradshaw, frankly, has always been a mess — a beautiful, cringe-inducing, selfish, couture-wearing mess.—
Lyz Lenz,
Rolling Stone,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Just before Thursday’s taping Pence and Emanual met outside the greenroom, and each greeted each other warmly, quickly asking each other questions about their kids before anything else, while kidding with each other about a long unpaid bet.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
10 Oct. 2025
-
Okay, kidding about that last part.—
Elizabeth Logan,
Glamour,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Some are clearly ironic, but the line between blind devotion and mocking derision is seriously mangled.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The video, which has racked up tens of millions of views on social media, was widely interpreted as mocking the death of Kirk, who was assassinated by a shot through the neck last month.—
Louis Casiano,
FOXNews.com,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The Fix Our Forests Act will help to unleash the conservation prowess of ranchers by limiting frivolous litigation and streamlining government processes to reduce fuel loads on the landscape at a much faster pace.—
Khaleda Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Ellis advises parents that even if teens make a few purchases that seem frivolous or foolish, instilling good financial habits is what’s most important.—
Yolande Clark-Jackson,
Parents,
20 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
My role is to ensure bringing our ambitious vision to life, which is to be an international luxury brand builder, bridging cultures and inspiring dreams.—
Sofia Celeste,
Footwear News,
21 Oct. 2025
-
From the red carpet to the runway, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s logos have turned into status symbols, inspiring designers, brands and fans around the world.—
Khanh T.L. Tran,
USA Today,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Teasing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/teasing. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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