tease
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to laugh at someone or say unkind things to them, either as a joke or to be mean.
v.to provoke or mock someone playfully or unkindly. Transitive, requiring a person as the direct object.
Simple“The older boys used to tease him about his glasses when he was at school.”
In context“Although they were close friends, he would frequently tease her about her obsession with vintage vinyl records during their weekly meetups.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to show a small part of a new product or story to make people want to see more.
v.to entice or tempt by offering a glimpse of something while withholding the full details. Often used in marketing and media contexts.
Simple“The movie studio started to tease the new sequel with a ten-second video clip.”
In context“The tech company began to tease their upcoming smartphone release on social media, posting cryptic silhouettes of the device's new camera array.”
- 03 C1 Advanced
v.to pull something apart gently, like tangled hair or wool fibres.
v.to separate the fibres of a material or to disentangle something with a fine, repetitive motion.
Simple“You need to tease the wool apart before you can start spinning it.”
In context“The archaeologist spent hours using a fine brush to tease the delicate silk fragments away from the compacted earth.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
v.to comb your hair toward your head to make it look thicker.
v.to backcomb hair toward the scalp to create volume or a specific texture.
Simple“She used a lot of hairspray after she teased her hair for the party.”
In context“The stylist decided to tease the model's hair at the crown to achieve the dramatic height required for the retro-themed photoshoot.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a person who enjoys playing jokes on others or making fun of them.
n.an individual who habitually mocks or provokes others, often in a playful or flirtatious manner.
Simple“Don't take him too seriously; he's just a bit of a tease.”
In context“Known as the office tease, he was always hiding his colleagues' staplers or making lighthearted jokes during the morning briefings.”
Synonymsjokerprankster
“And then there’s the ladies at church.” I ask Mr T if he is teasing me?”
“Something I’m teasing out in this book is how works of art carry stowaway messages.”
From Middle English tesen, from Old English tǣsan (“to tease”), from Proto-West Germanic *taisijan (“to separate, tug, shred”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.