Word a Day
tease
What does tease mean?
tease (verb): to poke fun at, either cruelly or affectionately in a playful way.
Definition: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
How do you pronounce tease?
/tiz/ (IPA, American English). The app reads every word aloud.
Where does tease come from?
From Middle English tesen, from Old English tǣsan (“to tease”), from Proto-West Germanic *taisijan (“to separate, tug, shred”).
Etymology: Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Words related to tease
From Princeton WordNet 3.1.
Test yourself: do you know “tease”?
Tap an answer to check it. The same questions the app asks.
What does “tease” mean?
to change the direction or orientation of, especially by rotation
Not quite: that's what turn means.
keep in safety and protect from harm, decay, loss, or destruction
Not quite: that's what preserve means.
describe roughly or briefly or give the main points or summary of
Not quite: that's what outline means.
to poke fun at, either cruelly or affectionately in a playful way
Right! That's what “tease” means.
Learn a word like “tease” every day
Word a Day for iPhone quizzes you on a few new words a day and brings each one back for review at growing intervals. Free, no account, no ads.
Coming soon to the App Store