— worrier , n. — worriless , adj. — worryingly , adv.
/werr"ee, wur"ee/ , v. , worried, worrying , n. , pl. worries .
v.i.
1. to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret.
2. to move with effort: an old car worrying uphill.
v.t.
3. to torment with cares, anxieties, etc.; trouble; plague.
4. to seize, esp. by the throat, with the teeth and shake or mangle, as one animal does another.
5. to harass by repeated biting, snapping, etc.
6. worry along or through , Informal. to progress or succeed by constant effort, despite difficulty: to worry through an intolerable situation.
n.
7. a worried condition or feeling; uneasiness or anxiety.
8. a cause of uneasiness or anxiety; trouble.
9. act of worrying.
10. Fox Hunting. the action of the hounds in tearing to pieces the carcass of a fox.
[ bef. 900; ME weryen, werwen, wyrwyn to strangle, bite, harass, OE wyrgan to strangle; c. G würgen ]
Syn. 3. tease, harry, hector, badger, disquiet. WORRY, ANNOY, HARASS all mean to disturb or interfere with someone's comfort or peace of mind. To WORRY is to cause anxiety, apprehension, or care: to worry one's parents. To ANNOY is to vex or irritate by continued repetition of interferences: to annoy the neighbors. HARASS implies long-continued worry and annoyance: Cares of office harass a president. 7. apprehension, solicitude, disquiet, misgiving, fear. See concern .