# teasing

Pronunciation: say "TEE-zing" US /ˈtiz.ɪŋ/, UK/AUS /ˈtiːz.ɪŋ/

## Verb

1. Present participle and gerund of tease. — present participle and gerund of tease
   - Simple: Present participle and gerund of tease. Use it after is or was, or to talk about the action itself.
   - _The stylist was teasing her hair at the crown to give it more height._
   - _The smell of fresh bread was teasing us from the bakery across the street._

## Noun

2. Harassing or provoking someone, playfully or maliciously, especially by ridiculing them, pestering them, or making fun or light of them.
   - Simple: Making fun of someone or bothering them, as a joke or to be mean.
   - _She put up with years of teasing about her accent before she learned to laugh along._
   - _After some good-natured teasing from his teammates, he stopped wearing the bright orange socks._
6. The act of combing tangles out of one's hair.
   - Simple: Combing knots out of your hair.
   - _Patient teasing with a wide-tooth comb freed the matted tangles without any cutting._
   - _Her morning routine began with a slow teasing of the snarls left from sleep._

## Adjective

3. Annoying or provoking someone in a playful way, especially by making fun of them.
   - Simple: Playfully making fun of someone to annoy them a little.
   - _"Nice hat," he said in a teasing tone, and she swatted his arm._
   - _The best man's speech was full of teasing jokes about the groom's terrible cooking._
4. Arousing sexual desire without any intention of satisfying it.
   - Simple: Making someone want you in a sexual way, without planning to go further.
   - _The perfume ad relied on a teasing glimpse of bare shoulder and a closing door._
   - _Her teasing whisper promised more than she ever meant to give._
5. Producing a feeling of irritation or annoyance.
   - Simple: Making you feel annoyed or bothered.
   - _A teasing draft from the cracked window kept her shivering through the meeting._
   - _The wool sweater left a teasing prickle on his neck all afternoon._

## Origin

Formed from tease + the suffix -ing.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/teasing (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).