[syn: concern, interest, occupy, worry]
5. lacerate by biting;
- Example: "the dog worried his bone"
6. touch or rub constantly;
- Example: "The old man worried his beads"
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Worry \Wor"ry\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Worried; p. pr. & vb. n.
Worrying.] [OE. worowen, wirien, to strangle, AS. wyrgan in
[=a]wyrgan; akin to D. worgen, wurgen, to strangle, OHG.
wurgen, G. w["u]rgen, Lith. verszti, and perhaps to E.
wring.]
[1913 Webster]
1. To harass by pursuit and barking; to attack repeatedly;
also, to tear or mangle with the teeth.
[1913 Webster]
A hellhound that doth hunt us all to death;
That dog that had his teeth before his eyes,
To worry lambs and lap their gentle blood. --Shak.
[1913 Webster]
2. To harass or beset with importunity, or with care an
anxiety; to vex; to annoy; to torment; to tease; to fret;
to trouble; to plague. "A church worried with
reformation." --South.
[1913 Webster]
Let them rail,
And worry one another at their pleasure. --Rowe.
[1913 Webster]
Worry him out till he gives consent. --Swift.
[1913 Webster]
3. To harass with labor; to fatigue. [Colloq.]
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Worry \Wor"ry\, v. i.
To feel or express undue care and anxiety; to manifest
disquietude or pain; to be fretful; to chafe; as, the child
worries; the horse worries.
[1913 Webster]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Worry \Wor"ry\, n.; pl. Worries.
A state of undue solicitude; a state of disturbance from care
and anxiety; vexation; anxiety; fret; as, to be in a worry.
"The whir and worry of spindle and of loom." --Sir T. Browne.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
worry
n 1: something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of
unhappiness; "New York traffic is a constant concern";
"it's a major worry" [syn: concern, worry, headache,
vexation]
2: a strong feeling of anxiety; "his worry over the prospect of
being fired"; "it is not work but worry that kills"; "he
wanted to die and end his troubles" [syn: worry, trouble]
v 1: be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy; "I
worry about my job"
2: be concerned with; "I worry about my grades" [syn: worry,
care]
3: disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation
or distress; "I cannot sleep--my daughter's health is
worrying me" [syn: worry, vex] [ant: assure,
reassure]
4: be on the mind of; "I worry about the second Germanic
consonant shift" [syn: concern, interest, occupy,
worry]
5: lacerate by biting; "the dog worried his bone"
6: touch or rub constantly; "The old man worried his beads"
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:
147 Moby Thesaurus words for "worry":
ado, afflict, aggravate, aggravation, aggrieve, agitate, ail,
anguish, annoy, annoyance, anxiety, bad news, badger, bait, be at,
be the matter, bedevil, bedevilment, beleaguer, beset, besetment,
bore, bother, botheration, bothersomeness, bristle, brown off, bug,
bullyrag, burn up, can of worms, care, carry on, chafe, chivy,
complicate matters, concern, concernment, crashing bore, despair,
devil, devilment, difficulty, disadvantage, discommode, discompose,
disquiet, disquietude, distemper, distress, disturb, dog, dogging,
doubt, downer, drag, dun, evil, exasperate, exasperation, exercise,
fash, fret, fret and fume, fretting, fuss, get, give up, gnaw,
goad, great ado, gripe, harass, harassment, harry, harrying, haunt,
headache, heartache, heckle, hector, hound, hounding,
inconvenience, irk, matter, miff, mistrust, molest, molestation,
nag, needle, nettle, nudzh, nuisance, oppress, peck of troubles,
peeve, pelt, perplex, persecute, persecution, perturb, pest,
pester, pick on, pique, plague, pluck the beard, pother,
presentiment, problem, provoke, put out, put to it, puzzle, ride,
rile, roil, ruffle, sea of troubles, solicitude, stew, take on,
tantalize, tease, test, torment, torture, trial, trouble, try,
try the patience, tweak the nose, uncertainty, unease, uneasiness,
upset, vex, vexation, vexatiousness, woe, worriedness,
worries and cares, worriment, worrying, wrong