pester — to annoy someone repeatedly with requests or questions
Part of speech: VERB
Definition: to annoy someone repeatedly with requests or questions
Pronunciation (IPA): /ˈpestər/
Example Sentences
- My little brother keeps pestering me to play video games with him.
- The reporter pestered the celebrity with personal questions until security stepped in.
- Don't pester the teacher during lunch break - even superheroes need to eat!
pester
VERB[/ˈpestər/]
to annoy someone repeatedly with requests or questions
Coworker constantly bothering with questions
PEST bothers HER with endless questions — she's totally pestered!
The jester loves to pester the poor tester!
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🎤Pronunciation
🌳Etymology
Origin
From 16th-century French 'empestrer' meaning 'to hobble or entangle.' The word originally described literally tying up someone's feet, which evolved to mean bothering someone persistently - like grabbing onto someone's ankles and not letting go.
Breakdown
em- (prefix meaning 'in/into') + pestrer (to entangle/hobble) - the prefix was dropped in English, leaving just 'pester'
🎵Rhyme
🔗Collocations
📝Examples
“My little brother keeps pestering me to play video games with him.”
“The reporter pestered the celebrity with personal questions until security stepped in.”
“Don't pester the teacher during lunch break - even superheroes need to eat!”
“The mosquitoes pestered us all night during our camping trip.”
📚Related Words
Synonyms
Antonyms
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