wor·ry
(wûŕē, wŭŕē)
[Middle English werien, worien, to strangle, from Old English wyrgan.]
verb: wor·ried (wûŕēd, wŭŕ-), wor·ry·ing, wor·ries (wûŕēz, wŭŕ-)
intransitive verb
- To feel uneasy or concerned about something; be troubled. See synonyms at brood
- To pull or tear at something with or as if with the teeth.
- To proceed doggedly in the face of difficulty or hardship; struggle: worried along at the problem.
transitive verb
- To cause to feel anxious, distressed, or troubled. See synonyms at trouble
- To bother or annoy, as with petty complaints.
- To seize with the teeth and shake or tug at repeatedly: a dog worrying a bone.
- To attack roughly and repeatedly; harass.
- To touch, move, or handle idly; toy with: worrying the loose tooth with his tongue.
noun: pl., -ries.
- The act of worrying or the condition of being worried; persistent mental uneasiness. See synonyms at anxiety
- A source of nagging concern or uneasiness.
idioms
- not to worry
- There is nothing to worry about; there is no need to be concerned: “But not to worry: it all…falls into place in the book's second half, where the language is plainer” (Hallowell Bowser)
derivatives
- woŕri·er
- noun
