TEASE
What does "TEASE" mean?
To playfully or unkindly provoke someone with mockery, or to entice without satisfying.
Meanings
- To make fun of or provoke someone in a playful or mocking way. His sisters teased him about his first crush for years.
- To tempt or excite by hinting at something without delivering it. The trailer teases the ending without giving anything away.
- To gently pull apart or separate fibers, tangles, or strands. She teased the wool apart before spinning it. technical
- A person who teases, or an act of teasing. Don't take him seriously - he's a terrible tease. informal
Word origin
From Old English 'tǣsan' meaning to pluck, pull apart, or comb (as in carding wool); the playful 'provoke' sense grew from the image of picking and pulling at someone.
Remember it
TEASE = TEA + SE: imagine offering someone TEA, then pulling the cup away - that's a tease.
A little poem
The kettle hums a promise it won't keep,
all steam, no cup - I'm wide awake, half-asleep.
couplet
Wordplay
- I was going to tell you a joke about teasing, but I'll just leave it hanging.
What it teaches
A tease holds the gift just out of reach; the cruelty and the flirtation use the same hand.
Quick facts
What does TEASE mean?
To playfully or unkindly provoke someone with mockery, or to entice without satisfying.
Is TEASE a valid word?
Yes — TEASE is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is TEASE?
TEASE has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does TEASE come from?
From Old English 'tǣsan' meaning to pluck, pull apart, or comb (as in carding wool); the playful 'provoke' sense grew from the image of picking and pulling at someone.
What can TEASE teach us?
A tease holds the gift just out of reach; the cruelty and the flirtation use the same hand.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.