# worry

Pronunciation: say "WUR-ee" /ˈwʌɹi/

## Verb

1. To feel troubled or anxious; to dwell on doubt or fear about something.
   - Simple: To feel upset or afraid that something bad might happen.
   - _Parents naturally worry when their children travel alone for the first time._
   - _He worried all night about the results of the interview._
3. To disturb someone's peace of mind; to fill them with anxiety or distress.
   - Simple: To make someone feel upset, afraid, or unable to relax.
   - _The doctor's vague answers worried her more than the diagnosis itself._
   - _Rising costs worry families who are already struggling to pay rent._
5. To harass or pester; to irritate and cause distress to someone.
   - Simple: To keep bothering, annoying, or upsetting someone.
   - _The reporters worried the official with questions he refused to answer._
   - _For weeks the landlord would worry his tenants, calling at all hours to complain about noise nobody else could hear._
6. To touch, pick at, or fiddle with something repeatedly.
   - Simple: To touch or pull at something again and again.
   - _Waiting outside the courtroom, he sat on a bench and worried the ring on his finger._
   - _Anxious passengers often worry the straps of their bags without noticing._
7. To seize and shake by the throat, as a dog or wolf does to its prey.
   - Simple: To grab and shake another animal by the throat, as a dog does.
   - _Before the farmer could reach the coop, the fox had seized a hen by the neck and begun to worry it._
   - _The terrier worried the rat with a series of violent shakes._

## Noun

2. A feeling of anxiety or unease about something uncertain or threatening.
   - Simple: A feeling of being upset or afraid that something bad might happen.
   - _The constant worry kept her awake long past midnight._
   - _His voice carried an edge of worry he couldn't quite hide._
4. Someone or something that causes anxiety or concern.
   - Simple: A person or thing that makes you worried.
   - _The car's strange engine sound was a new worry for the family._
   - _Among her many worries, the unpaid bills weighed heaviest._

## Verb

8. To kill by strangling; to choke the life out of someone. *(obsolete, Scotland)*
   - Simple: To kill someone by squeezing their throat.

## Origin

Proto-Indo-European *werǵʰ- ("bind, squeeze") lies behind Proto-Germanic *wurgijaną, which gave Old English wyrġan and then Middle English worien ("to choke, strangle"). Dutch worgen and German würgen are relatives, as is the English word "wring."

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