worry

[wur-ee, wuhr-ee] /ˈwɜr i, ˈwʌr i/
verb (used without object), worried, worrying.
1.
to torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret.
2.
to move with effort:
an old car worrying uphill.
verb (used with object), worried, worrying.
3.
to torment with cares, anxieties, etc.; trouble; plague.
4.
to seize, especially by the throat, with the teeth and shake or mangle, as one animal does another.
5.
to harass by repeated biting, snapping, etc.
noun, plural worries.
6.
a worried condition or feeling; uneasiness or anxiety.
7.
a cause of uneasiness or anxiety; trouble.
8.
act of worrying.
9.
Fox Hunting. the action of the hounds in tearing to pieces the carcass of a fox.
Verb phrases
10.
worry along/through, Informal. to progress or succeed by constant effort, despite difficulty:
to worry through an intolerable situation.
Idioms
11.
no worries, Informal. Don’t be troubled; it is of no concern:
If you can’t make it to the party, no worries.
Also, not to worry.
Origin
before 900; Middle English weryen, werwen, wyrwyn to strangle, bite, harass, Old English wyrgan to strangle; cognate with German würgen
Related forms
worrier, noun
worriless, adjective
worryingly, adverb
Synonyms
3. tease, harry, hector, badger, disquiet. Worry, annoy, harass all mean to disturb or interfere with someone's comfort or peace of mind. To worry is to cause anxiety, apprehension, or care: to worry one's parents. To annoy is to vex or irritate by continued repetition of interferences: to annoy the neighbors. Harass implies long-continued worry and annoyance: Cares of office harass a president. 6. apprehension, solicitude, disquiet, misgiving, fear. See concern.
Examples from the web for worry
  • New high-tech labels help libraries track books, but worry privacy advocates.
  • worry about bug bites can also wait for warmer weather.
  • The worry is not about any specific country, or about the present.
  • Others worry about the effects on traditional ways of life.
  • It's really only something to worry about if they're drooped over in the morning when it's still cool out.
  • But people still worry about having it stored next to them.
  • Even legitimate researchers cut corners, and some worry that the lure of a great headline might be warping results.
  • There are good reasons to worry about that trend, quite apart from what it implies about the extent of world poverty.
  • Talk of cloning typically inspires speculation and worry about duplicating people.
  • The results of a couple of the multiple choice questions would worry anyone, however.
British Dictionary definitions for worry

worry

/ˈwʌrɪ/
verb -ries, -rying, -ried
1.
to be or cause to be anxious or uneasy, esp about something uncertain or potentially dangerous
2.
(transitive) to disturb the peace of mind of; bother: don't worry me with trivialities
3.
(intransitive; often foll by along or through) to proceed despite difficulties
4.
(intransitive) often foll by away. to struggle or work: to worry away at a problem
5.
(transitive) (of a dog, wolf, etc) to lacerate or kill by biting, shaking, etc
6.
when intr, foll by at. to bite, tear, or gnaw (at) with the teeth: a dog worrying a bone
7.
(transitive) to move as specified, esp by repeated pushes: they worried the log into the river
8.
(transitive) to touch or poke repeatedly and idly
9.
(obsolete) to choke or cause to choke
10.
(informal) not to worry, you need not worry
noun (pl) -ries
11.
a state or feeling of anxiety
12.
a person or thing that causes anxiety
13.
an act of worrying
14.
(informal) no worries, an expression used to express agreement or to convey that something is proceeding or has proceeded satisfactorily; no problem
Derived Forms
worrying, adjective
worryingly, adverb
Word Origin
Old English wyrgan; related to Old Frisian wergia to kill, Old High German wurgen (German (er)würgen to strangle), Old Norse virgill, urga rope
Word Origin and History for worry
v.

Old English wyrgan "to strangle," from West Germanic *wurgijanan (cf. Middle Dutch worghen, Dutch worgen, Old High German wurgen, German würgen "to strangle," Old Norse virgill "rope"), from PIE *wergh- "to turn" (see wring). Related: Worrisome; worrying.

The oldest sense was obsolete in English after c.1600; meaning "annoy, bother, vex," first recorded 1670s, developed from that of "harass by rough or severe treatment" (1550s), as of dogs or wolves attacking sheep. Meaning "to cause mental distress or trouble" is attested from 1822; intransitive sense of "to feel anxiety or mental trouble" is first recorded 1860.

n.

1804, from worry (v.).

Slang definitions & phrases for worry

worry

Related Terms

not to worry