Word
harass
Phoneticsha·rass, stress on the second syllable
US/hɝˈæs/
UK/həɹˈæs/
Definition
v. to annoy or upset someone by repeatedly bothering them or being aggressive. You use this when someone makes another person feel uncomfortable or unsafe over a long period.
v. to subject someone to aggressive pressure or intimidation through persistent and unwanted actions. Transitive — requires a direct object representing the person or group being targeted.
Examples
“He was arrested for trying to harass his neighbors.”
“The company implemented a strict policy to ensure that no employee would harass their colleagues in the workplace.”
“Legal experts argued that the defendant's repeated phone calls and unwanted messages constituted a clear attempt to harass the witness before the trial began.”
Examples
simple
“He was arrested for trying to harass his neighbors.”
contextual
“The company implemented a strict policy to ensure that no employee would harass their colleagues in the workplace.”
complex
“Legal experts argued that the defendant's repeated phone calls and unwanted messages constituted a clear attempt to harass the witness before the trial began.”
Usage
The verb is transitive and takes a direct object. Often used in the passive voice ('to be harassed').
Pitfall
He harassed to her.
He harassed her.
Harass is a transitive verb and does not take the preposition 'to' before the object.
Etymology
The verb is derived from Middle French, Old French harasser (“to exhaust, tire out, wear out; to harry, torment, vex”) (modern French harasser (“to exhaust, tire out, wear out”)), possibly from Old French harer (“to set a dog on”), from Frankish hara (“here, hither”) (a command for a dog to attack), from Proto-Germanic hē₂r (“here, in this place”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ḱe (“here; this”) + ís (“the (person or thing just named)”) + *-r. The noun is derived from the verb.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
NOUN
ADJECTIVE
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Frequent
- Level
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/harass