# tease

/ˈtiz/ (US) · /tˈiːz/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/tease
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. to joke with someone

verb · CEFR B1

to laugh at someone or say unkind things to them, either as a joke or to be mean.

For teachers: to provoke or mock someone playfully or unkindly. Transitive, requiring a person as the direct object.

- The older boys used to tease him about his glasses when he was at school.
- Although they were close friends, he would frequently tease her about her obsession with vintage vinyl records during their weekly meetups.

### 2. to preview or tempt

verb · CEFR B2 · Informal

to show a small part of a new product or story to make people want to see more.

For teachers: to entice or tempt by offering a glimpse of something while withholding the full details. Often used in marketing and media contexts.

- The movie studio started to tease the new sequel with a ten-second video clip.
- The tech company began to tease their upcoming smartphone release on social media, posting cryptic silhouettes of the device's new camera array.

### 3. to separate or pull apart

verb · CEFR C1 · Technical

to pull something apart gently, like tangled hair or wool fibres.

For teachers: to separate the fibres of a material or to disentangle something with a fine, repetitive motion.

- You need to tease the wool apart before you can start spinning it.
- The archaeologist spent hours using a fine brush to tease the delicate silk fragments away from the compacted earth.

### 4. to style hair

verb · CEFR C1 · American English

to comb your hair toward your head to make it look thicker.

For teachers: to backcomb hair toward the scalp to create volume or a specific texture.

- She used a lot of hairspray after she teased her hair for the party.
- The stylist decided to tease the model's hair at the crown to achieve the dramatic height required for the retro-themed photoshoot.

### 5. a person who jokes

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

a person who enjoys playing jokes on others or making fun of them.

For teachers: an individual who habitually mocks or provokes others, often in a playful or flirtatious manner.

- Don't take him too seriously; he's just a bit of a tease.
- Known as the office tease, he was always hiding his colleagues' staplers or making lighthearted jokes during the morning briefings.

## Examples

- The older boys used to tease him about his glasses.
- My sister likes to tease me about my terrible singing whenever I am in the shower.
- 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.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.