tease
2 ENTRIES FOUND:
teases;
teased;
teasing
teases;
teased;
teasing
Britannica Dictionary definition of TEASE
1
:
to laugh at and criticize (someone) in a way that is either friendly and playful or cruel and unkind
[+ object]
-
He and his wife enjoy teasing each other about their different tastes in music.
-
The other children teased her because she was wearing braces.
-
He was always teased by his brother about being short.
[no object]
-
Oh, don't get so angry. I was just/only teasing!
-
Stop your teasing!
2
[+ object]
:
to annoy or bother (an animal)
-
The boy's mother told him to stop teasing the dog.
3
[+ object]
US
:
to make (hair) look fuller or bigger by combing it in a special way
-
She teases [=(chiefly Brit) backcombs] her hair.
4
:
to make (someone) feel excitement or interest about something you might do or say without actually doing it or saying it
[+ object]
-
Stop teasing us and tell us who your surprise guest is.
[no object]
-
She likes to tease.
5
[+ object]
:
to remove or separate (thin pieces of something) slowly and carefully
— often + out
— often used figuratively
-
The twisted strands of the rope were gently teased apart.
-
They described the techniques used to tease out [=extract] genetic material from DNA.
-
She carefully teased the roots of the young plant out of the soil.
-
Reporters are still trying to tease out [=find out] the details of the accident.
-
It won't be easy to tease out the meaning of these statistics.
— teasing
adjective-
a teasing tone of voice
— teasing
noun [noncount]-
There was some affectionate teasing about the way he was dressed.
-
They teasingly remarked about the way he was dressed.
2
tease
/ˈtiːz/
noun
plural
teases
2
tease
/ˈtiːz/
noun
plural
teases
Britannica Dictionary definition of TEASE
[count]
1
:
a person who teases other people
— usually singular
-
He's just a tease.
especially
:
a person who seems to be sexually interested in someone but who is not serious about having a sexual relationship
-
a pretty girl who has the reputation of being a bit of a tease
2
:
a joking remark that criticizes someone in a friendly way
:
a teasing remark
— usually singular
-
Don't take what he said seriously. It was just a tease.
3
