v., teased, teas·ing, teas·es. v.tr.
- To annoy or pester; vex.
- To make fun of; mock playfully.
- To arouse hope, desire, or curiosity in without affording satisfaction.
- To urge persistently; coax: teasing their mother for more candy.
- To gain by persistent coaxing: “the New York editor who could tease great books from the unpromising woolly jumble of an author's first draft” (Ian Jack).
- To deal with or have an effect on as if by teasing.
- To cut (tissue, for example) into pieces for examination.
- To disentangle and dress the fibers of (wool, for example).
- To raise the nap of (cloth) by dressing, as with a fuller's teasel.
- To ruffle (the hair) by combing from the ends toward the scalp for an airy, full effect.
To annoy or make fun of someone persistently.
n.- The act of teasing.
- The state of being teased.
- One that teases, as:
- One given to playful mocking.
- A woman who behaves like a coquette.
- A preliminary remark or act intended to whet the curiosity.
tease out
- To get by or as if by untangling or releasing with a pointed tool or device: “It takes a carefully trained expert to tease out the truth” (Arthur Green).
[Middle English tesen, to comb apart, from Old English tǣsan.]
teasingly teas'ing·ly adv.
