ENGLISH
REFERENCE

tease

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈtiz// UK //tˈiːz// tease Informal

v. to laugh at someone or make fun of them in a playful or unkind way. You often do this to get a reaction from a friend.

v. to provoke or mock someone playfully or maliciously. Often involves making fun of a person's appearance, actions, or beliefs to elicit a response.


SIMPLE

The older boys used to tease him about his glasses.

CONTEXTUAL

My sister likes to tease me about my terrible singing whenever I am in the shower.

COMPLEX

While some friends tease each other as a sign of affection, it is important to recognize when such behavior crosses the line into genuine harassment.

Synonyms
Origin

From Middle English tesen, from Old English tǣsan (“to tease”), from Proto-West Germanic *taisijan (“to separate, tug, shred”).

Usage

The verb is transitive and takes a direct object; it can also be used intransitively to describe the general behavior.

Pitfall

he teased to mehe teased meTease is a transitive verb and does not require the preposition 'to' before the person being teased.

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