I. ˈharē, -ri also ˈher- verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English harien, herien, from Old English hergian; akin to Old High German heriōn to lay waste, Old Norse herja; denominative from the noun represented by Old English here army, Old High German heri, Old Norse herr army, Gothic harjis host; akin to Greek koiranos commander, Old Persian kāra army
intransitive verb
: to attack and loot : raid
had harried widely and laid siege to Paris — Charlton Laird
transitive verb
1.
a. : assault , devastate , ravage
ordered his troops to harry the town
shabby trees harried by fire — G.R.Stewart
b. chiefly Scotland : to engage in robbing or plundering
shame lassie for harrying birds' nests — J.M.Barrie
2.
a. : attack
harry a person
the cat reached out a big fat paw and harried the boy — Erskine Caldwell
b. : to force (a person) to move along
saga of migratory laborers harried across the continent — J.D.Hart
3. now dialect Britain : to drag off as plunder — usually used with off or out
the devil came and harried off his soul — Emily Brontë
4.
a. : to keep under constant attack or threat of attack : harass
harried by guerrillas and occasionally invaded by organized forces — T.M.Spaulding
b. : to goad by constant demands or annoyances : torment
three renegade boys who came to harry a couple of farm women — James Kelly
harries the doctor by telephone — Mary B. Spahr
Synonyms: see worry
II. noun
( -es )
1. : harrying action
teased and broken by the harry of the following gale — J.D.Beresford
2. : vexation
cut off from the hurries and harries of the daily world — Roger Angell