bother

[ both-er ]

verb (used with object)

1. to annoy; give trouble to; pester:

   His little sister kept bothering him for candy.

2. to cause unease, anxiety, or worry in (someone):

   I hadn't realized how much being in a small boat bothers me until we got into choppy waters.

   Synonyms: disturb, molest, irritate, vex, harass

3. to bewilder; confuse:

   His inability to understand the joke bothered him.

verb (used without object)

1. to take the trouble; trouble or inconvenience oneself:

   Don't bother to call. He has no time to bother with trifles.

noun

1. something troublesome, burdensome, or annoying:

   Doing the laundry every week can be a terrible bother.

2. effort, work, or worry:

   Gardening takes more bother than it's worth.

3. a worried or perplexed state:

   Don't get into such a bother about small matters.

4. someone or something that bothers or annoys:

   My cousin is a perpetual bother to me.

interjection

1. Chiefly British. (used to express mild irritation.)

bother

/ ˈbɒðə /

verb

1. tr to give annoyance, pain, or trouble to; irritate

   his bad leg is bothering him again

2. tr to trouble (a person) by repeatedly disturbing; pester

   stop bothering your father!

3. intr to take the time or trouble; concern oneself

   don't bother to come with me

4. tr to make (a person) alarmed or confused

   the thought of her husband's return clearly bothered her

noun

1. a state of worry, trouble, or confusion
2. a person or thing that causes fuss, trouble, or annoyance
3. informal.
   a disturbance or fight; trouble (esp in the phrase a spot of bother )

interjection

1. an exclamation of slight annoyance

Other Words From

• un·both·ered adjective
• un·both·er·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bother¹

First recorded in 1710–20; origin obscure; originally Hiberno-English; perhaps a hypercorrection of bodder, an alternative early form; perhaps a variant of pother ( def )

Word History and Origins

Origin of bother¹

C18: perhaps from Irish Gaelic bodhar deaf, vexed; compare Irish Gaelic buairim I vex

Synonym Study

Bother, annoy, plague, tease imply persistent interference with one's comfort or peace of mind. Bother suggests causing trouble or weariness or repeatedly interrupting in the midst of pressing duties. To annoy is to vex or irritate by bothering. Plague is a strong word, connoting unremitting annoyance and harassment. To tease is to provoke or irritate persistently with petty distractions.

Example Sentences

“She’s like, ‘Why should I even bother voting?

From Los Angeles Times

"It doesn’t bother me so long as I can find my way up and down it safely," he joked.

From BBC

Oh, and don’t bother looking for the original “Fresh Prince” house either.

From Los Angeles Times

Obama did not even bother to pardon the torturers from the George W. Bush administration, eventually working to suppress reports of the CIA’s “enhanced interrogation” operations.

From Slate

No matter how much proof the media musters about Donald Trump’s lies, crimes, and derelictions, no matter how eloquent the cases pundits make about his manifest unfitness for office, no matter how hard journalists try to document their processes and present their work in compelling ways, half the country continues to demean and disregard their efforts while choosing instead to trust real-estate hucksters, YouTube supplement salesmen, disheveled podcast conspiracists, and countless other unreliable sources that barely even bother to appear credible.

From Slate

Related Words

• aggravate
• alarm
• bore
• disgust
• dismay
• disturb
• embarrass
• exacerbate
• hinder
• hurt
• irk
• irritate
• nag
• perplex
• perturb
• plague
• scare
• torment
• trouble
• upset