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bother

[ both-er ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

to annoy; give trouble to; pester:
His little sister kept bothering him for candy.
to cause unease, anxiety, or worry in (someone):
I hadn't realized how much being in a small boat bothers me until we got into choppy waters.
Synonyms: , , , ,
to bewilder; confuse:
His inability to understand the joke bothered him.

verb (used without object)

to take the trouble; trouble or inconvenience oneself:
Don't bother to call. He has no time to bother with trifles.

noun

something troublesome, burdensome, or annoying:
Doing the laundry every week can be a terrible bother.
effort, work, or worry:
Gardening takes more bother than it's worth.
a worried or perplexed state:
Don't get into such a bother about small matters.
someone or something that bothers or annoys:
My cousin is a perpetual bother to me.

interjection

Chiefly British. (used to express mild irritation.)

bother

/ ˈ��ɒðə /

verb

tr to give annoyance, pain, or trouble to; irritate
his bad leg is bothering him again
tr to trouble (a person) by repeatedly disturbing; pester
stop bothering your father!
intr to take the time or trouble; concern oneself
don't bother to come with me
tr to make (a person) alarmed or confused
the thought of her husband's return clearly bothered her

noun

a state of worry, trouble, or confusion
a person or thing that causes fuss, trouble, or annoyance
informal.
a disturbance or fight; trouble (esp in the phrase a spot of bother )

interjection

an exclamation of slight annoyance

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Other Word Forms

�ܲ�·��ǳٳ�·�� adjective
�ܲ�·��ǳٳ�·��·��Բ� adjective

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Word History and Origins

Origin of bother¹

First recorded in 1710–20; origin obscure; originally Hiberno-English; perhaps a hypercorrection of bodder, an alternative early form; perhaps a variant of pother ( def )

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Word History and Origins

Origin of bother¹

C18: perhaps from Irish Gaelic bodhar deaf, vexed; compare Irish Gaelic buairim I vex

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Synonym Study

Bother, annoy, plague, tease imply persistent interference with one's comfort or peace of mind. Bother suggests causing trouble or weariness or repeatedly interrupting in the midst of pressing duties. To annoy is to vex or irritate by bothering. Plague is a strong word, connoting unremitting annoyance and harassment. To tease is to provoke or irritate persistently with petty distractions.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

Recent outbursts have even landed him in legal bother and subsequent retractions.

From

Normally, this would bother me but in this case I'm afraid I have to hope that the Pentagon bureaucracy wins.

From

I thought about the potential of writing a recipe book of my own and then started messaging publishers about it who deemed it too niche to bother with.

From

You may think it's too esoteric to bother you, but here's why it matters and how it may change President Trump's mind on tariffs.

From

"I was really shocked the first time I got grief, because no-one's ever been that bothered about what I'm doing," she says.

From

Related Words

Bothe botheration

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