persecute

Main Entry:
persecute [pur-si-kyoot]
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: wrong, torment
Synonyms: afflict, aggrieve, annoy, badger, bait, be on one's case, beat, bother, crucify, distress, dog*, dragoon, drive up the wall, exile, expel, harass, hector, hound, hunt, ill-treat, injure, maltreat, martyr, molest, oppress, outrage, pester, pick on, plague, pursue, tease, torture, tyrannize, vex, victimize, worry
Notes: persecute means 'to harass or treat unjustly'; prosecute is 'to bring legal action against' or 'to pursue something until the end'
Antonyms: comfort, commend, console, reward, soothe
Main Entry: abuse
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: attack with words
Synonyms: backbite, bad-mouth, bash, belittle, berate, blow off, calumniate, cap, castigate, cuss out, cut down, cut to the quick, decry, defame, derogate, discount, do a number on, dump on, give a black eye, hurl brickbat, insult, knock*, minimize, nag, offend, oppress, persecute, pick on, put down*, rag on, reproach, revile, ride*, rip up, run down, scold, signify, slam*, slap, sling mud, smear, sound*, swear at, tear apart, trash*, upbraid, vilify, vituperate, zing
Notes: abuse carries with it some sense of harm; misuse refers to an incorrect use that may not lead to harm
to misuse is to use something wrongly, to abuse is to misuse something so badly that you damage it
Antonyms: acclaim, adulate, approve, commend, compliment, praise
Main Entry: bait
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: needle
Synonyms: anger, annoy, badger, bother, gall, harass, heckle, hound, irk, irritate, nag, persecute, provoke, tease, torment
Main Entry: beleaguer
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: harass, besiege
Synonyms: annoy, badger, bedevil, beset, blockade, bother, gnaw, harry, nag, persecute, pester, plague, put upon, set upon, siege, storm, tease, vex, worry
Main Entry: bully
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: intimidate, push around
Synonyms: bludgeon, bluster, browbeat, buffalo, bulldoze, coerce, cow, despotize, domineer, dragoon, enforce, harass, hector, lean on, menace, oppress, overbear, persecute, ride roughshod, showboat, swagger, terrorize, threaten, torment, torture, turn on the heat, tyrannize, walk heavy
Antonyms: allow, leave alone
Main Entry: crucify
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: execute; torture near to death
Synonyms: excruciate, hang, harrow, kill, martyr, martyrize, nail to cross, persecute, rack, torment, torture
Antonyms: exalt
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
Notes: follow means to travel behind, go after, or come after; succeed means to come next in time or succession, follow after another or to attain success, reach a goal
Antonyms: go before, lead, precede
Main Entry: grind
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: oppress
Synonyms: afflict, annoy, harass, hold down, hound, persecute, plague, trouble, tyrannize, vex
Antonyms: free, liberate
Main Entry: harass
Part of Speech: verb
Definition: badger
Synonyms: annoy, attack, bait, bedevil, beleaguer, bother, bug*, bullyrag, burn*, despoil, devil*, distress, disturb, eat*, exasperate, exhaust, fatigue, foray, get to, give a bad time, give a hard time, gnaw, harry, hassle, heckle, hound, intimidate, irk, irritate, jerk around, macerate, maraud, noodge, pain*, perplex, persecute, pester, plague, raid, rattle one's cage, ride, strain, stress, tease, tire, torment, trouble, try, vex, weary, work on, worry
Antonyms: aid, assist, facilitate, help, support
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