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Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. v. To disturb or anger, especially by minor irritations; annoy. See Synonyms at annoy.
  2. v. To make agitated or nervous; fluster.
  3. v. To make confused or perplexed; puzzle.
  4. v. To intrude on without invitation or warrant; disturb.
  5. v. To give trouble to: a back condition that bothers her constantly.
  6. v. To take the trouble; concern oneself.
  7. v. To cause trouble.
  8. n. A cause or state of disturbance.
  9. interj. Used to express annoyance or mild irritation.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. To bewilder; confuse.
  2. To give trouble to; annoy; pester; worry.
  3. [Used in the imperative as an expression of impatience, or as a mild sort of execration.
  4. Synonyms Pester, Worry, etc. See tease, v. t.
  5. To trouble one's self; make many words or much ado: as, don't bother about that.
  6. n. Blarney; humbug; palaver.
  7. n. Trouble; vexation; plague: as, what a bother it is!

Wiktionary

  1. v. transitive To annoy, to disturb, to irritate.
  2. v. intransitive To do something at one's own inconvenience.
  3. v. intransitive To do something which is of negligible inconvenience.
  4. n. Fuss, ado.
  5. n. Trouble, inconvenience.
  6. interj. A mild expression of annoyance.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. v. To annoy; to trouble; to worry; to perplex. See pother.
  2. v. To feel care or anxiety; to make or take trouble; to be troublesome.
  3. n. One who, or that which, bothers; state of perplexity or annoyance; embarrassment; worry; disturbance; petty trouble.

WordNet 3.0

  1. v. make nervous or agitated
  2. v. to cause inconvenience or discomfort to
  3. n. an angry disturbance
  4. v. make confused or perplexed or puzzled
  5. v. take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
  6. v. intrude or enter uninvited
  7. v. cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
  8. n. something or someone that causes trouble; a source of unhappiness

Etymologies

  1. From Scots bauther, bather "to bother". Origin unknown. Perhaps related to Scots pother "to make a stir or commotion, bustle", also of unknown origin. (Wiktionary)
  2. Probably from dialectal bodder, possibly of Celtic origin. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)

Examples

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Lists

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Comments

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  • bilby It's a bit Monty Python :-( Jun 10, 2009

  • vanishedone You don't say: 'Both his mother and sister had hanged themselves five years ago and this had always bothered Ligesh.'

    Is this word taken to have a stronger sense in India, or is this sheer understatement? Jun 9, 2009

  • sionnach Is that one of Shaw's fungal plays?

    Bother, mother! Not another brother! What a pother! Dec 13, 2008

  • bilby "PROSERPINE: Bother! You've been meddling with my typewriter, Mr. Marchbanks; and there's not the least use in your trying to look as if you hadn't.
    MARCHBANKS (timidly): I'm very sorry, Miss Garnett. I only tried to make it write."
    - George Bernard Shaw, 'Candida'. Dec 13, 2008

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‘bother’ has been looked up 3025 times, added to 13 lists, commented on 4 times, and has a Scrabble score of 11.