worry

1 of 2

verb

wor·​ry ˈwər-ē 

ˈwə-rē

worried; worrying

transitive verb

1

: to afflict with mental distress or agitation : make anxious

2

a

: to harass by tearing, biting, or snapping especially at the throat

b

: to shake or pull at with the teeth

a terrier worrying a rat

c

: to touch or disturb something repeatedly

d

: to change the position of or adjust by repeated pushing or hauling

3

a

: to assail with rough or aggressive attack or treatment : torment

b

: to subject to persistent or nagging attention or effort

4

dialectal British : choke, strangle

intransitive verb

1

: to feel or experience concern or anxiety : fret

worrying about his health

2

: to move, proceed, or progress by unceasing or difficult effort : struggle

3

dialectal British : strangle, choke

worrier

ˈwər-ē-ər 

ˈwə-rē-

noun

worry

2 of 2

noun

plural worries

1

a

: mental distress or agitation resulting from concern usually for something impending or anticipated : anxiety

b

: an instance or occurrence of such distress or agitation

2

: a cause of worry : trouble, difficulty

Synonyms

Verb

• bother
• fear
• fret
• fuss
• stew
• stress
• sweat
• trouble

Noun

• agita
• agitation
• anxiety
• anxiousness
• apprehension
• apprehensiveness
• care
• concern
• concernment
• disquiet
• disquietude
• fear
• nervosity
• nervousness
• perturbation
• solicitude
• sweat
• unease
• uneasiness

Choose the Right Synonym for worry

Verb

worry, annoy, harass, harry, plague, pester, tease mean to disturb or irritate by persistent acts.

worry implies an incessant goading or attacking that drives one to desperation.

pursued a policy of worrying the enemy

annoy implies disturbing one's composure or peace of mind by intrusion, interference, or petty attacks.

you're doing that just to annoy me

harass implies petty persecutions or burdensome demands that exhaust one's nervous or mental power.

harassed on all sides by creditors

harry may imply heavy oppression or maltreatment.

the strikers had been harried by thugs

plague implies a painful and persistent affliction.

plagued all her life by poverty

pester stresses the repetition of petty attacks.

constantly pestered with trivial complaints

tease suggests an attempt to break down one's resistance or rouse to wrath.

children teased the dog

Noun

care, concern, solicitude, anxiety, worry mean a troubled or engrossed state of mind or the thing that causes this.

care implies oppression of the mind weighed down by responsibility or disquieted by apprehension.

a face worn by years of care

concern implies a troubled state of mind because of personal interest, relation, or affection.

crimes caused concern in the neighborhood

solicitude implies great concern and connotes either thoughtful or hovering attentiveness toward another.

acted with typical maternal solicitude

anxiety stresses anguished uncertainty or fear of misfortune or failure.

plagued by anxiety and self-doubt

worry suggests fretting over matters that may or may not be real cause for anxiety.

financial worries

Examples of worry in a Sentence

Verb

We didn't want you to worry.

Don't worry. You'll be fine.

Don't make your parents worry.

When they didn't call after two hours, we began to worry.

They were fine. We needn't have worried.

His poor health worries me.

It doesn't seem to worry him that rain is in the forecast.

We didn't tell you about the accident because we didn't want to worry you.

Noun

She finally ended months of worry over her credit card debt when she finished paying off her bill.

His high blood pressure is cause for worry.

Our greatest worry is that she'll get lost.

His only worry right now is getting to the airport on time.

His mother's health is a constant worry.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Travelers who are used to sailing the warm Caribbean waters might feel hesitant to sail in the region’s colder aid, worried about seasickness or simply unsure about the destinations themselves. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024

Many also worry that U.S. disengagement could lead other countries to backpedal on existing climate pledges or scale back future ambitions. —Reuters, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024

Noun

Election seasons often evoke a mix of emotions, ranging from hope for the future to intense worry over what may come. —Luciana Paulise, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

Professor Ned Foley, the director of the election-law program at Ohio State University, told me that his biggest worry this year was a new deadline of December 16th. —The New Yorker, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English worien, from Old English wyrgan; akin to Old High German wurgen to strangle, Lithuanian veržti to constrict

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 4

Noun

1804, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing worry

• going out of my mind with worry
• nothing to worry about
• not to worry
• not worry oneself
• sick with worry
• worry at
• worry beads
• worry line
• worry (oneself) sick

Kids Definition

worry

1 of 2 verb

wor·​ry ˈwər-ē 

ˈwə-rē

worried; worrying

1

: to shake and pull at with the teeth

a puppy worrying an old shoe

2

: to make anxious or upset

his absence worried his friends

3

: to feel or express great concern : fret

worrying about her health

worrier noun

worry

2 of 2 noun

plural worries

1

: anxiety sense 1

2

: a cause of anxiety : trouble