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bother

/ˈbɑðɚ/noun, verb2 syllables

Bother means: cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations.

Synonyms for bother44

noun, as in something or someone that causes trouble; a source of unhappiness

annoyance, botheration, pain, infliction, pain in the neck, pain in the ass, nuisance

noun, as in an angry disturbance

verb, as in cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations

annoy, rag, get to, get at, irritate, rile, nark, nettle, gravel, vex, chafe, devil

verb, as in to cause inconvenience or discomfort to

trouble, put out, inconvenience, disoblige, discommode, incommode

verb, as in take the trouble to do something; concern oneself

trouble oneself, trouble, inconvenience oneself

also used for bother

ado, argy-bargy, bangarang, bobbery, brouhaha, bunfight, bustle, bust-up, chaos, ferment, faff, grievance, irritation, palaver, peeve

Includes material from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.

What does bother mean?8

verb

1

cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations“Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me”

2

to cause inconvenience or discomfort to“Sorry to trouble you, but …”

3

take the trouble to do something; concern oneself“He did not trouble to call his mother on her birthday”

4

intrude or enter uninvited“Don't bother the professor while she is grading term papers”

5

make nervous or agitated“The mere thought of her bothered him and made his heart beat faster”

6

make confused or perplexed or puzzled

noun

1

something or someone that causes trouble; a source of unhappiness“a bit of a bother”

2

an angry disturbance“he didn't want to make a fuss”

Definitions from the Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

What rhymes with bother?1

two syllables

Show 40 near rhymes

Bother in a sentence

  • Pardon the bother, and many thanks for your kindness.Hybrid
  • Your eyes bother me, so don't look at me.AlanF_US
  • If you don't bother the bees, they're unlikely to sting you.CK
  • Don't bother them, and they won't bother you.mailohilohi
  • If you don't bother them, they won't bother you.mailohilohi
  • He didn't pass the exam, but it doesn't bother him.basilhan
  • If questions bother you, don't become a teacher.Dejo
  • When someone forgets you, do not bother him.AmarMecheri

Sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR, credited to their authors.

Forms of bother

as a noun

plural
bothers

as a verb

past tense
bothered
present participle
bothering
third-person singular
bothers