| Main Entry: | |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | chase after; bother |
| Synonyms: | bedog, haunt, hound, plague, pursue, shadow, tag, tail, track, trail, trouble |
| Antonyms: | leave alone, let go |
| Main Entry: | aggravate |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | annoy |
| Synonyms: | be at, be on the back of, bother, bug, bum*, dog, drive up the wall, exasperate, gall, get, get on one's nerves, get to, give a hard time, grate, hack, irk, irritate, nag, needle, nettle, peeve, pester, pick on, pique, provoke, tease, vex, wig |
| Notes: | to aggravate is to make something worse, while to exacerbate is to increase something's bitterness or harshness aggravate means 'to add to' an already troublesome or vexing matter or condition while irritate means 'to vex, annoy, or chafe' irritate means 'inflame' (originally 'excite, rouse'); aggravate means 'worsen' |
| Antonyms: | appease, gladden, make happy, mollify, soften |
| Main Entry: | beset |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | plague; hem in |
| Synonyms: | aggress, assail, attack, badger, bedevil, beleaguer, besiege, bug*, circle*, compass, dog*, drive up the wall, embarrass, encircle, enclose, encompass, entangle, environ, fall on, fall upon, girdle, give a bad time, give a hard time, give one the business, give the needle, harass, harry, hassle, infest, invade, jump on one's case, nag, nudge, overrun, perplex, pester, pick on, put the squeeze on, ride, ring, start in on, storm, strike, surround |
| Main Entry: | distress |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | worry, upset |
| Synonyms: | afflict, aggrieve, agonize, ail, be on one's case, bother, break, bug, burn up, depress, desolate, discombobulate, disquiet, disturb, do a number on, dog*, eat*, get to, get*, give a hard time, grieve, harass, harry, hound, hurt, injure, irk, irritate, make it tough for, miff, nag, needle, nit-pick, oppress, pain, peeve, perplex, pester, pick on, plague, push, push buttons, rack, sadden, strain, strap, stress, tick off, torment, torture, trouble, try, vex, weigh, wound |
| Antonyms: | assist, calm, comfort, help, soothe |
| Main Entry: | drive |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | move or urge on |
| Synonyms: | act upon, actuate, animate, arouse, bulldoze, chase, coerce, compel, constrain, dog*, egg on, encourage, force, goad, goose, harass, hasten, herd, hound, hurl, hurry, hustle, impel, induce, inspire, instigate, kick, lean on, make, motivate, nag, oblige, overburden, overwork, pound, press, pressure, prod, prompt, propel, provoke, push, put up to, railroad, ride herd on, rouse, rush, send, shepherd, shove, spirit up, spur, steamroll, stimulate, work on, worry |
| Antonyms: | check, curb, discourage, dissuade, halt, repress, retard, stop |
| Main Entry: | follow |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | trail, pursue physically |
| Synonyms: | accompany, attend, bring up the rear, catenate, chase, come with, concatenate, convoy, dog the footsteps of, dog*, draggle, escort, freeze, give chase, go after, go with, hound, hunt, onto, persecute, put a tail on, run after, run down, schlepp along, search, seek, shadow, shag, spook, stalk, stick to, string along, tag, tag after, tag along, tail, tailgate, take out after, track |
| Antonyms: | go before, lead, precede |
| Main Entry: | hound |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | chase, badger |
| Synonyms: | annoy, bait, be at, be on one's back, be on one's case, be on one's tail, beat the bushes, bird-dog, bother, bug, chivy, curdle, dog*, drive, give chase, goad, harass, harry, hassle, heckle, hector, hunt, hunt down, impel, leave no stone unturned, persecute, pester, prod, provoke, pursue, rag on, rag, ride, scout, scratch, scratch around, search high heaven, tail, take out after, track down, turn inside out, turn upside down, yap at |
| Antonyms: | leave alone |
| Main Entry: | hunt |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | chase for killing |
| Synonyms: | beat the bushes, bird-dog, capture, course, dog, drag, drive, fish, follow, give chase, grouse, gun for, gun*, hawk, heel, hound, kill, look for, poach, press, pursue, ride, run, scent, scratch, scratch around, seek, shadow, shoot, snare, stalk, start, track, trail |
| Antonyms: | let go |
| Main Entry: | kid around |
| Part of Speech: | verb |
| Definition: | tease |
| Synonyms: | annoy, badger, bait, banter, bother, chaff, disturb, dog*, fool around, give a hard time, goad, harass, josh, lead on, mock, needle, nudge, pester, pick on, rag, razz, rib, ride, ridicule, roast, taunt |