Lexic.us

Definition of Tease

1. Verb. Annoy persistently. "Sam cannot tease Sue "; "The children teased the boy because of his stammer"

2. Noun. Someone given to teasing (as by mocking or stirring curiosity).

3. Verb. Harass with persistent criticism or carping. "His fellow workers razzed him when he wore a jacket and tie"

4. Noun. A seductive woman who uses her sex appeal to exploit men.

5. Verb. To arouse hope, desire, or curiosity without satisfying them. "She has a way of teasing men with her flirtatious behavior"

6. Noun. The act of harassing someone playfully or maliciously (especially by ridicule); provoking someone with persistent annoyances. "His ribbing was gentle but persistent"

7. Verb. Tear into pieces. "Tease tissue for microscopic examinations"

8. Verb. Raise the nap of (fabrics).

9. Verb. Disentangle and raise the fibers of. "Tease wool"

10. Verb. Separate the fibers of. "Tease wool"

11. Verb. Mock or make fun of playfully. "The flirting man teased the young woman"

12. Verb. Ruffle (one's hair) by combing the ends towards the scalp, for a full effect. "They tease their hair "

Definition of Tease

1. v. t. To comb or card, as wool or flax.

2. n. One who teases or plagues.

Definition of Tease

1. Verb. To separate the fibres of a fibrous material. ¹

2. Verb. To comb (originally with teasels) so that the fibres all lie in one direction. ¹

3. Verb. To back-comb. ¹

4. Verb. To poke fun at. ¹

5. Verb. To provoke or disturb by annoying remarks and other annoyances. ¹

6. Verb. To entice, to tempt. ¹

7. Noun. One who teases. ¹

8. Noun. A single act of teasing. ¹

9. Noun. A cock tease; an exotic dancer; a stripper. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Tease

1. to make fun of [v TEASED, TEASING, TEASES] : TEASABLE [adj]

Medical Definition of Tease

1. 1. To comb or card, as wool or flax. "Teasing matted wool." 2. To stratch, as cloth, for the purpose of raising a nap; teasel. 3. To tear or separate into minute shreds, as with needles or similar instruments. 4. To vex with importunity or impertinence; to harass, annoy, disturb, or irritate by petty requests, or by jests and raillery; to plague. "He . . . Suffered them to tease him into acts directly opposed to his strongest inclinations." (Macaulay) Synonym: To vex, harass: annoy, disturb, irritate, plague, torment, mortify, tantalize, chagrin. Tease, Vex. To tease is literally to pull or scratch, and implies a prolonged annoyance in respect to little things, which is often more irritating, and harder to bear, than severe pain. Vex meant originally to seize and bear away hither and thither, and hence, to disturb; as, to vex the ocean with storms. This sense of the term now rarely occurs; but vex is still a stronger word than tease, denoting the disturbance or anger created by minor provocations, losses, disappointments, etc. We are teased by the buzzing of a fly in our eyes; we are vexed by the carelessness or stupidity of our servants. "Not by the force of carnal reason, But indefatigable teasing." (Hudibras) "In disappointments, where the affections have been strongly placed, and the expectations sanguine, particularly where the agency of others is concerned, sorrow may degenerate into vexation and chagrin." (Cogan) Tease tenon, a long tenon at the top of a post to receive two beams crossing each other one above the other. Origin: AS. Tsan to pluck, tease; akin to OD. Teesen, MHG. Zeisen, Dan. Taese, taesse. 58. Cf. Touse. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Tease

tears away tears of wine tearsheets tearstain tearstained tearstains tearstrip tearstrips tearthumb tearthumbs

teary teary-eyed teas teasable tease (current term) tease apart tease out teased teasel teaseled

teaseler teaselers teaseling teaselled teaseller teasellers teaselling teasels teaser

Literary usage of Tease

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. The Nursery (1873)
"A LITTLE tease. I KNOW a little fellow Who is such a wilful tease, That, when he's not in mischief, He-is never at his ease: He dearly loves to frolic, ..."

2. An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language by Walter William Skeat (1893)
"To.yn, or tose wul' [tease wooll; Prompt. Parv. We also find to-tosen, to tease ... See tease. TEAT, the nipple of the female breast. (E.) Also called tit. ..."

3. A Cyclopædic Dictionary of the Mang'anja Language Spoken in British Central by David Clement Ruffelle Scott (1892)
"... ku, то tease OUT cloth, crumble down, to gnaw, as a rat crumbling down maize ... С to tease out cloth or ... ku, to tease out, gnaw off into bits ..."

4. The Chief American Poets: Selected Poems by Bryant, Poe, Emerson, Longfellow by Curtis Hidden Page (1905)
"With one poor word they tell me all they know; Whereat their stupid tongues, to tease my Do drawl it o'er again and o'er again. ..."

5. A General Abridgment and Digest of American Law: With Occasional Notes and by Nathan Dane (1824)
"and endorse their award on the tease;" they made it on a separate paper, and annexed it to the lease. Held, this award was not according to the submission, ..."

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