Verbs of Helping and Hurting - Verbs for Harassment

Here you will learn some English verbs referring to harassment such as "bother", "trouble", and "pester".

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Verbs of Helping and Hurting

to subject someone to aggressive pressure or intimidation, often causing distress or discomfort

Ex: Cyberstalking involves using technology to harass someone over the internet .

to cause someone to feel worried, upset, or concerned

Ex: The idea of leaving her family behind to travel bothered her .

to create problems for someone, resulting in hardship

Ex: Unexpected expenses can trouble individuals and disrupt their financial stability .

to annoy someone repeatedly by making persistent requests

Ex: Salespeople sometimes pester customers with constant calls and emails .

to repeatedly annoy or harass someone with requests or questions

Ex: He felt badgered by the constant emails from his boss .

to continuously create problems for someone or something

Ex: The team was bedeviled by a series of unexpected setbacks .
to hound [verb]

to constantly chase, pressure, or follow someone to gain or achieve something

Ex: Journalists may hound public figures for exclusive interviews .
to bug [verb]

to persistently annoy someone, often by making repeated requests or demands

Ex: The persistent telemarketer would n't stop bugging the homeowner with sales pitches .

to irritate someone or cause problems for them, particularly by asking them to do something over and over again

Ex: Troublesome software issues can hassle users trying to complete tasks .
to harry [verb]

to continually annoy someone

Ex: The constant emails from the marketing team began to harry customers .
to eat [verb]

to cause worry or annoyance for someone

Ex: What 's eating you today ?

to request something in an annoyingly persistent way

Ex: Despite my repeated refusals , he continued to importune me for a loan .

to continually cause someone or something difficulty, pain, or worry

Ex: Insecurity and self-doubt can plague an individual 's mental health .

to cause pain, suffering, or distress, often as a result of illness, injury, or hardship

Ex: If left unchecked , climate change will afflict future generations with catastrophic consequences .
to pry [verb]

to ask personal or unwanted questions

Ex: It is considered impolite to pry into someone 's financial situation without their consent .
to spy [verb]

to secretly observe someone

Ex:
to snoop [verb]

to secretly investigate or look around to discover private information about someone

Ex: Some people snoop through the personal belongings of others out of curiosity .

to secretly listen to a conversation without the knowledge or consent of those involved

Ex: Kids often eavesdrop on their parents ' discussions , trying to understand grown-up matters .

to secretly enter an organization or group with the aim of spying on its members or gathering information

Ex: Spies may be trained to infiltrate terrorist cells to prevent potential attacks .