worryn.
/ˈwʌri/, U.S. /ˈwəri/ 1. in extended use.1866 H. W. Longfellow Flower-de-luce ii Thou laughest at the mill, the whir and worry Of spindle and of loom.
a. A troubled state of mind arising from the frets and cares of life; harassing anxiety or solicitude.
ΘΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > [noun]
troublec1230
troublingc1340
troublancec1400
troublement1484
fretting1526
maceration1616
troubledness1631
heartburn1747
bother1761
embroil1799
worry1804
worrit1818
botherment1821
worriment1833
worriting1845
1804 W. Wilberforce in R. I. Wilberforce & S. Wilberforce Life W. Wilberforce (1838) III. 190 Broomfield..is a scene of almost as much bustle as Old Palace Yard. So much so, that the incessant worry (it is an expressive word) of this house makes me think of quitting it.
1834 F. Marryat Jacob Faithful II. viii. 197 It were better to know the worst at once, than to be kept on the worry all your days.
1838 Buckstone Our Mary Anne 20 After all the worry of mind I have endured this day.
1843 C. Dickens Martin Chuzzlewit (1844) xxii. 277 Martin felt, from pure fatigue, and heat, and worry, as if he could have fallen on the ground.
1862 Mrs. H. Wood Mrs. Halliburton's Troubles II. xxvi. 309 The fact is..I have a good deal of worry upon me.
1871 S. Smiles Character viii. 219 Cheerfulness..enables nature to recruit its strength; whereas worry and discontent debilitate it.
1879 D. M. Mulock Young Mrs. Jardine III. ix. 227 It is not work that kills, but ‘worry’.
b. An instance or case of this; a cause of, or matter for, anxiety; plural cares, solicitudes.
ΘΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > [noun] > causing worry > cause of worry
disquietation1526
disquiet1574
distract1624
inquietudes1652
chagrin1656
disquietmenta1658
disquietude1711
kiaugh1786
worry1813
worrit1818
worriment1833
tsuris1901
1813 Sketches of Character (ed. 2) I. 178 You may suppose what a worry Mrs. Mac. was in.
1852 H. B. Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin I. v. 55 Eliza came in here..in a great worry, crying and taking on.
1859 C. J. Lever Davenport Dunn ix. 76 ‘Delicious spot to come and repose in from the cares and worries of life’, said Lord Lackington.
1859 F. Nightingale Notes on Nursing xii. 54 There is scarcely a greater worry which invalids have to endure than the incurable hopes of their friends.
1868 L. M. Alcott Little Women I. iv. 66 Rich people have about as many worries as poor ones, I guess.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 25 To learn to write with the left hand is a labour and a worry.
1912 Times 1 May 10/2 His chief worry was that he was unable to be of any further use.
2. The act of biting and shaking an animal so as to injure or kill it. (Originally spec. of hounds when they seize their quarry.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > [noun] > strangling or tearing of throat
worrying1483
worry1847
the world > life > death > killing > killing of animals > [noun] > by specific method
cabaging1575
spearing1784
pithing1806
pig-sticking1821
worry1847
shechita1875
halal1888
estocada1910
lethalling1925
roadkill1943
autocide1967
1847 R. S. Surtees Hawbuck Grange xii. 250 The whole pack flew from their noses to the worry, and rolled one over another with their victim into the river.
1859 G. A. Lawrence Sword & Gown iii. 28 They will..join in the ‘worry’ as eagerly as the youngest hound.
1882 C. L. Morgan in Nature 28 Sept. 524/2 But no dog could tell his companion of the successful ‘worry’ [sc. of a cat] he had just enjoyed.
1886 Fores's Sporting Notes III. 155 And then among the reeds is a rolling over, a confusion, and a worry.
3. Irritation or morbid stimulation (of bodily tissue).
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disordered sensation > [noun] > irritability
irritation1686
irritability1769
irritableness1805
worry1897
Hoffmann('s) symptom1900
hyperirritability1913
1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. III. 750 This form of looseness appears to be due to direct worry of the mucous membrane.
Compounds
worry beads n. a string of beads manipulated by the fingers as a means of occupying one's hands and calming the nerves.
ΘΠ
the mind > emotion > calmness > [noun] > calming person or thing > specific
comboloio1813
worry beads1964
1964 in M. McLuhan Understanding Media viii. 78 You will notice that many Greek men..spend a lot of time counting the beads of what appear to be amber rosaries... They are komboloia or ‘worry beads’.
1978 G. Greene Human Factor v. i. 233 The man had a rosary in his lap and seemed to be using it like a chain of worry beads.
1985 Observer 3 Feb. 19/3 Sheikh Yamani, worry beads to hand, sums up the general feeling of unease as OPEC last week managed to preserve its fragile unity.
worry lines n. lines or wrinkles on the forehead supposedly formed by a habitual expression of worry.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > skin > textures or states of skin > [noun] > wrinkle
rimpleeOE
rivellingOE
rivelc1325
crow's footc1374
frounce1390
wrinklea1400
frumplec1440
freckle1519
line1538
lirkc1540
shrivel1547
plait1574
furrow1589
trench1594
crowfoot1614
seam1765
thought-line1858
laughter line1867
laugh line1913
smile-line1921
worry lines1972
1972 ‘J. Quartermain’ Rock of Diamond xvi. 99 Worry lines creased his forehead.
1982 ‘L. Cody’ Bad Company xiv. 102 There was grey in her hair and worry lines between her brows.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1928; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
worryv.
/ˈwʌri/, U.S. /ˈwəri/ a. transitive. To kill (a person or animal) by compressing the throat; to strangle. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > killing > killing by specific method > kill [verb (transitive)] > by strangling
aworryc885
achokeOE
astrangle1297
strangle13..
worry14..
choke1303
weary1340
gnarec1380
athroatc1400
enstranglec1400
gagc1440
throttlec1450
estrangle1483
stifle1548
snarl1563
thrapple1570
quackle1622
bowstring1803
scrag1823
strangulate1846
mug1866
to screw a person's neck1872
garrotte1878
guzzle1885
to screw an animal's neck1888
α.
β. c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 1915 Weren he werewed.14.. Quatuor Serm. (Caxton 1483) d 4 I denounce..al tho that werye or slee theyr generacions.c1480 (a1400) St. Nicholas 994 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 509 He..weryt hyme [L. eum strangulavit].1483 Cath. Angl. 414/2 To Wery, strangulare, suffocare.c1485 ( G. Hay Bk. Law of Armys (2005) 21 The fende weryit him jn his bed.γ. 13.. St. Greg. Trental 19 in Min. Poems fr. Vernon MS. 261 Anon as hire child I-boren was, Þe Nekke heo nom, þe child heo woriede [Cott. MS. wyryede].14.. Promptorium Parvulorum 532/2 (MS. K.) Worwyn, supra in wyrwyn.1483 Cath. Angl. 423/2 To Worowe, jugulare, suffocare.1558 Q. Kennedy Compendius Tractiue ii. sig. Biii That thay abstayne..fra it that is worreit [Acts xv. 20].1600 J. Hamilton Facile Traictise Sacram. 419 East laudiane knawis the loue and fidelitie of ane of yair Ministers towards his wyf, wha worriet hir before he passit to his preaching.c725 Corpus Gloss. S 558 St[r]angulat, wyrgeð uel smorað.
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 1921 On þe morwen, hwan it was day, Ilc on other wirwed lay, Als it were dogges þat weren henged.
1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (MS. β) VII. 534 Harald..threwe hym to the grounde and had wyried [MS. γ ywyryed] hym with his hondes, nadde he be the rather delyvered out of his clowes.
c1440 Promptorium Parvulorum 530/1 Wyrwyn', strangulo, suffoco.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid viii. v. 26 Tua gret serpentis..The quhilk he wyrreit wyth his handis tuay.
a1578 R. Lindsay Hist. & Cron. Scotl. (1899) II. 191 Thay wirrit him to the deid.
1606 Reg. Privy Counc. Scot. (1885) VII. 185 He tuike the said compleiner be the throat and thought to have wirryed her or she had awaked.
ΚΠ
1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. VII. 465 Þese..wexe so riche þat it semede þat þe douȝter passede and weried [v.rr. wyryȝede, wyryed, wyryde] þe moder [L. ut filia ditata matrem supergredi videretur et suffocare].
a. To choke (a person or animal) with a mouthful of food. Used with the food as subject, or reflexive and in passive. Const. on (the food); hence to be worried, or worry oneself, on = to devour greedily. Also figurative. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disordered breathing > have or cause breathing disorder [verb (transitive)] > choke
stranglea1300
chokec1380
worrya1400
stiflec1400
to stop the breath (more rarely the wind) ofc1400
scomfishc1480
to choke up1555
grane1613
suffocatea1616
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > processes or manners of eating > eat via specific process [verb (intransitive)] > eat voraciously
gorge13..
franch1519
to be worried, or worry oneself, ona1529
raven1530
frank1596
tire1599
to fall aboard——1603
ravenize1677
mop1811
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 16929 Ai til iesus þe thrid dai had fughten gain sathan, And werid him on his aun bit, als hund es on a ban.
a1529 J. Skelton Magnyfycence (?1530) sig. Eiiv On suche a female my flesshe wolde be wroken They towche me so thorowly and tykyll my consayte. That weryed I wolde be on suche a bayte.
a1529 J. Skelton Phyllyp Sparowe (?1545) sig. A.iiv I saye our cat Worrowyd her on that Which I loued best.
1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) II. 663 How Godowyn worreit himself to Deid in Presence of Edward King.
1535 W. Stewart tr. H. Boethius Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) II. 663 The breid..stak so fast.., it wirreit him to deid.
c1540 J. Bellenden tr. H. Boece Hyst. & Cron. Scotl. xii. viii. f. 178/2 He eit ane pece of breid & said, god gif yt breid wory me gif euir I wes othir art or part of Alarudis slauchter. And incontinent he fel doun weryit on ye breid.
a1550 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Wemyss) vii. 514 God lat neuer of it a crote, Till I be weryit [v.rr. wyrryd, wereyt], pass oure my throte.
1674 J. Ray N. Countrey Words in Coll. Eng. Words 55 To be Worried, to be choak't.
1777 Whole Proc. Jockey & Maggy (rev. ed.) v. 31 She..squattles up a mutchkin at a waught, which was like to wirry her.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of internal organs > disordered breathing > have or cause breathing disorder [verb (intransitive)] > become short of breath > choke
choke?a1400
worrya1500
smotherc1528
gulp1530
stifle1594
to stop one's nose, nostrils1697
a1500 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Nero) vii. l. 504 Swa suddandly richt at þe burde He wereit.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 86 Now quhill thair is gude wyne to sell, He that dois on dry breid virry, I gif him to the devill of hell.
1715 in Maidment Old Ballads (1844) 33 He..like a fool, did eat the cow, And worried on the tail.
1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 385 You fasted long, and worried on a Fly.
1756 M. Calderwood Lett. & Jrnls. (1884) v. 123 A great fat carle..so short necked that you would think he would worry [at] every word he spoke.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > death > killing > killing by specific method > kill [verb (transitive)] > by smothering or suffocation > with or of smoke
smothera1200
smore?a1513
worry1755
smook1825
charcoal1839
1755 Edom of Gordon xv, in F. J. Child Eng. & Sc. Pop. Ballads (1889) III. vi. 434 Dear mother, gie owre your house,..For the reek it worries me.
3.
a. transitive. To seize by the throat with the teeth and tear or lacerate; to kill or injure by biting and shaking. Said e.g. of dogs or wolves attacking sheep, or of hounds when they seize their quarry.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > injury > injure [verb (transitive)] > tear throat with teeth
worry1340
the world > life > death > killing > killing of animals > kill animal [verb (transitive)] > by specific method
sticklOE
worry1340
strikea1400
spaya1425
lipc1475
smeek1691
pith1805
whoo-whoop1812
halal1819
to bark1865
destroy1866
flight1892
lethalize1897
lethal1922
α. c1380 [see sense 3b].
β. c1400 Rom. Rose 6264 He wolde hem wery and drinke the bloode.c1400 N. Love tr. Bonaventura Mirror Life Christ xviii. 46 Þe prophete Abdo þat was weroude [v.r. wirwed] of þe lyoune.c1480 (a1400) St. Andrew 259 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 70 Sewine hundis com quhare he lay, and verrit hym sodanly.1554 W. Prat tr. J. Boemus Discr. Aphrique sig. Kivv Manye other beastes whiche the dogges do werye & kyll.1586 G. Whetstone Eng. Myrror 44 If a Beare appeare,..they will all joyne to wearie him.a1596 G. Peele Loue King Dauid & Fair Bethsabe (1599) sig. Biv The mastiues of our land, shall werry ye.1609 Euerie Woman in her Humor sig. H1 Acteon..was..werried to death with his own dogs.1655 W. Gouge & T. Gouge Learned Comm. Hebrewes (xi. 37) iii. 216 When he observeth that the Wolf hath wearied some sheep.absolute.1638 R. Brathwait Barnabees Journall (new ed.) iii. sig. X7 Farre from home old Foxes werry.γ. 1340 R. Rolle Pricke of Conscience 1229 Lyons, libardes and wolwes kene, Þat wald worow men bylyve, And rogg þam in sonder and ryve.?a1400 Morte Arth. 958 Ȝone warlawe wyt, he worows vs alle!c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1905 Ryȝt bifore þe hors fete þay fel on hym alle & woried me þis wyly wyth a wroth noyse.c1400 Laud Troy Bk. 8777 To scle the Gregais wold he not ses, As hongre lyoun bestes vories.c1440 Alphabet of Tales 421 And with þat he ran on þe selie lambe and worod itt.1579 S. Gosson Schoole of Abuse f. 30 The men of Hyrcania, that keepe Mastiffes, to woorrye themselues.1592 F. Bacon Observ. Libel (end) in Resuscitatio (1657) 150 The persecutions of the Primitive Church... As that, of Worrowing Priests, under the Skins of Bears, by Doggs, and the like.1620 F. Quarles Feast for Wormes Med. iii. D 4 Alas! the rau'nous Wolues will worr' thy Sheepe.1639 J. Clarke Paroemiologia 56 Many dogs may easily woorie one.1680 P. Henry Diaries & Lett. (1882) 285 Ralph Nixon had three sheep worry'd to death in one night.1795 Life John Metcalf 3 One of the young hounds happening to worry a couple of lambs.1844 H. Stephens Bk. of Farm II. 88 Many dogs..are in the habit of looking out for sheep to worry, at some distance from their homes.1847 C. Brontë Jane Eyre II. v. 124 She bit me... She worried me like a tigress.1867 A. J. Evans St. Elmo v. 67 Did not he worry down and mangle one of my best Southdowns?1867 Times 8 May 13/2 Defendant's dog..seized Mrs. Miller by the leg, and bit her several times, throwing her down, and worrying her very much.absolute.1872 Ld. Tennyson Gareth & Lynette 63 Such a dog am I, To worry, and not to flee.1899 H. D. Rawnsley Life & Nat. Eng. Lakes 173 A dog that shows signs of worrying is ‘put down’ at once.1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. x. 226 Wolues þat wyryeþ men, wommen and children.
a1500 R. Henryson tr. Æsop Fables: Fox, Wolf, & Cadger l. 1975 in Poems (1981) 76 Mak ane suddand schow vpon ane scheip, Syne with thy wappinnis wirrie him to deid.
c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) xvii. 123 There is ouer mony doggis in scotland that virreis there master as acteon vas virreit.
1606 Wily Beguilde 71 My dog wirried my neighbours sow, and the sow died.
1623 in J. Stuart Extracts Council Reg. Aberdeen (1848) II. 383 Mastishe and cur doggis..quha..wyrries and devouris thair sheip.
b. figurative (or in figurative context).
ΚΠ
c1380 J. Wyclif Wks. (1880) 24 No warde to hem hou faste þe woluys of helle wirien cristen soulis.
1399 W. Langland Richard Redeles iii. 72 His owen kynde briddis, Þat weren..well ny yworewid with a wronge leder.
1529 T. More Dialogue Heresyes iv. xi. 114 b/2 To play ye wyly foxes & wyrry simple soules & pore lambes.
c1550 [see sense 3aα. ]. 1560 J. Daus tr. J. Sleidane Commentaries f. cccxviij That they..ouersee that other Ministers do theyr dutye, that the wolues do not worrye the flocke.
1563 J. Foxe Actes & Monuments 1442/2 My L. is it not enough for you to wery your own shepe, but ye must also meddle wt other mens shepe?
1603 P. Holland tr. Plutarch Morals 238 Even so those parts of our life which are diseased, naught and ill affected,..these they seize upon, and are ready to worry and plucke in peeces.
1641 J. Milton Of Reformation 85 To let them still hale us, and worrey us with their band-dogs, and Pursivants.
1690 C. Ness Compl. Hist. & Myst. Old & New Test. I. 317 Herod pretended to worship Christ when he intended to worry him.
1863 R. F. Burton Wanderings W. Afr. I. 1 White sea-dogs coursed and worried one another over Father Mersey's breadth of mud.
c. transferred. To bite at or upon (an object); to kiss or hug vehemently; to utter (one's words) with the teeth nearly closed, as if biting or champing them.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > love > embrace > [verb (transitive)] > kiss or hug vehemently
worry1567
the mind > emotion > love > kiss > [verb (transitive)] > kiss or hug vehemently
worry1567
mwah-mwah1993
the mind > language > speech > manner of speaking > say in a particular manner [verb (transitive)] > through gritted teeth
grit1900
worry1906
1567 A. Golding tr. Ovid Metamorphosis (new ed.) xiii. f. 166v Queene Hecub ronning at a stone, with gnarring seazd theron, And wirryed it beetweene her teeth [L. morsibus insequitur].
a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) v. ii. 53 Then againe worryes he his Daughter, with clipping her. View more context for this quotation
1678 J. Dryden All for Love iv. 54 And then he grew familiar with her hand, Squeez'd it, and worry'd it with ravenous kisses.
1906 L. J. Vance Terence O'Rourke i. xiv As the Irishman entered, Prince Felix said a word, or two, low-toned and tense—worried them between his teeth, like an ill-dispositioned cur.
1914 A. M. N. Lyons Simple Simon i. i. 13 Their sons, late of the Great School, home from India on leave and unanimously worrying small moustaches of the tooth-brush pattern.
d. intransitive. To pull or tear at (an object) with the teeth.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > biting > bite [verb (intransitive)]
worry1882
1882 Little Folks Jan. 24/2 There was Floss, worrying at the parcel, which had only thin paper wrapped round it.
4. transitive. To swallow greedily, devour. Also with up. Latterly northern and Scottish.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > food > consumption of food or drink > eating > processes or manners of eating > eat via specific process [verb (transitive)] > eat voraciously
forswallowOE
gulch?c1225
afretea1350
moucha1350
glop1362
gloup1362
forglut1393
worrya1400
globbec1400
forsling1481
slonk1481
franch1519
gull1530
to eat up1535
to swallow up1535
engorge1541
gulp1542
ramp1542
slosh1548
raven1557
slop1575
yolp1579
devour1586
to throw oneself on1592
paunch1599
tire1599
glut1600
batten1604
frample1606
gobbet1607
to make a (also one's) meal on (also upon)a1616
to make a (also one's) meal of1622
gorge1631
demolish1639
gourmanda1657
guttle1685
to gawp up1728
nyam1790
gamp1805
slummock1808
annihilate1815
gollop1823
punish1825
engulf1829
hog1836
scoff1846
brosier1850
to pack away1855
wolf1861
locust1868
wallop1892
guts1934
murder1935
woof1943
pelicana1953
pig1979
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5902 Bot aaron wand it wex sa kene, þas oþer it wired [Gött. wirid, Trin. Cambr. woryed] al bidene.
1619 A. Gil Logonomia Angl. Pref. sig. B3 To worrow, Voro.
1634 T. Herbert Relation Some Yeares Trauaile 125 They had seene him weare many [jewels] and twas them, hee had woorried in his Ostrich appetite.
1643 T. Horn & J. Robotham tr. J. A. Comenius Gate Lang. Unlocked (ed. 6) li. §568 Stout feeders..do nothing else but devour (never lin wurrowing).
1728 A. Ramsay Monk & Miller's Wife 138 Think ye..his gentle stamock's master To worry up a pint of plaister.
1805 G. McIndoe Poems & Songs 68 Great claggs o' meat they ne'er could worry.
1887 D. Donaldson Jamieson's Sc. Dict. Suppl. Wirry, to worry, devour, eat ravenously.
5. in extended use.1702 C. Beaumont J. Beaumont's Psyche (new ed.) xxii. x. 326 Soil..if not duly worried, digg'd and plow'd, Harrow'd and torn.1898 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. V. 304 A repeated application to some of these drugs..by worrying the cardiac ganglia..tends to dilatation of the heart.
a. To harass by rough or severe treatment, by repeated aggression or attack; to assail with hostile or menacing speech.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > ill-treatment > ill-treat [verb (transitive)]
tuckc888
tawc893
misbedeOE
graithc1330
to fare fair or foul with1340
misusea1382
outrayc1390
beshrewc1430
huspelc1440
misentreat1450
mistreat1453
abuse?1473
to mayne evil1481
demean1483
to put (a person) to villainya1513
harry1530
mishandle1530
touse1531
misorder1550
worrya1556
yark1565
mumble1588
buse1589
crow-tread1593
disabuse1607
maltreat1681
squeeze1691
ill-treat1794
punish1801
tousle1826
ill-use1841
razoo1890
mess1896
to play horse with1896
to bugger about1921
slug1925
to give (a person) the works1927
to kick about or around1938
mess1963
the world > action or operation > harm or detriment > danger > threat or threatening > threaten (evil, etc.) [verb (transitive)] > make threats against
threata1000
threatenc1290
menacec1384
menacea1400
menacec1400
shorec1475
boasta1522
worrya1556
threapen1559
bravea1619
bethreatened1635
braveer1652
bay1796
comminate1801
bravo1831
mau-mau1970
the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > violent behaviour > treat violently [verb (transitive)] > treat violently or roughly > harass by rough treatment
aworryc885
worrya1556
a1556 N. Udall Ralph Roister Doister (?1566) iii. iii. sig. E.j But in spite of Custance, which hath hym weried, Let vs see his mashyp solemnely buried.
1594 T. Nashe Vnfortunate Traveller sig. F2v I thought verily they woulde haue worried one another with wordes, they were so earnest and vehement.
1610 S. Rid Martin Mark-all 12 Hath your nightly watchings and continuall disorder of your braines so whorried your senses.
1652 E. Peyton Divine Catastrophe Stuarts 74 I being a man can speak by experience, who hath been most justly worryed by the hand of the Almighty for sins.
a1680 J. Glanvill Serm. (1681) iv. 212 No mans Life or property will be safe; mankind would worry and prey upon one another.
a1683 P. Warwick Mem. Reign Charles I (1701) 321 Cromwell..marched forwards into Scotland, and left Lambert to worry Hamilton in England.
1725 B. Higgons Hist. & Crit. Remarks Burnet's Hist. 261 He cruelly worries the Memory of a Daughter of England.
1729 J. Gay Polly i. xiv. 24 In conniving at my escape, you save me from your husband's worrying me with threats and violence.
1852 D. Rock Church our Fathers III. i. 302 They vowed they would give peace to the land they were then wasting and worrying by fire and sword.
1877 Freeman in Brit. Q. Rev. Jan. 182 He perhaps hardly brings out how thoroughly Edward the Third was worried into war by the aggression of Philip.
1885 Manch. Examiner 23 Feb. 5/3 Having found their range during daylight, they continued to worry our men all the night.
b. with adverb complement expressing result, as away, in, to death.
ΚΠ
1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus at Abigo He chased or weried away his sonne to Rhodes.
1603 T. Dekker 1603: Wonderfull Yeare sig. E4 First to scratch out false Cressidaes eyes, and then (which was worse) to woorry her to death with scolding.
1659 J. Milton Treat. Civil Power 74 If departed of his own accord, like that lost sheep..the true church either with her own or any borrowd force worries him not in again.
1678 Poor Robin's True Char. Scold 6 Thus she worries him out of his senses at home.
1711 in 10th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1885) App. v. 184 He is wurryed to death by those ungrateful nations.
c. transferred. With adverb (e.g. out, down) or adverbial phr.: To get or bring into a specified condition by harassing treatment, persistent aggression, or dogged effort. Similarly to worry one's way. Also without adverb, to worry about (a problem, etc.) (U.S. colloquial).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > perseverance or persistence > persevere or persist in [verb (transitive)]
to stand in ——a1382
maintainc1385
willc1400
to stand fortha1425
to stick to ——1525
to tug out1631
worry1727
to stick out1833
to stick at ——1845
slog1846
stay1956
to chase up1958
the world > action or operation > manner of action > effort or exertion > [verb (transitive)] > bring into specific condition by
doc1175
labour?c1500
force1551
work1599
mistake1667
worry1727
the mind > will > decision > perseverance or persistence > persevere or persist [verb (intransitive)] > slowly and laboriously
worry1702
to worry one's way1727
peg1805
plug1867
worry1871
bore1875
pedgill1913
the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being harassed > harass [verb (transitive)]
tawc893
ermec897
swencheOE
besetOE
bestandc1000
teenOE
baitc1175
grieve?c1225
war?c1225
noyc1300
pursuec1300
travailc1300
to work (also do) annoyc1300
tribula1325
worka1325
to hold wakenc1330
chase1340
twistc1374
wrap1380
cumbera1400
harrya1400
vexc1410
encumber1413
inquiet1413
molest?a1425
course1466
persecutec1475
trouble1489
sturt1513
hare1523
hag1525
hale1530
exercise1531
to grate on or upon1532
to hold or keep waking1533
infest1533
scourge1540
molestate1543
pinch1548
trounce1551
to shake upa1556
tire1558
moila1560
pester1566
importune1578
hunt1583
moider1587
bebait1589
commacerate1596
bepester1600
ferret1600
harsell1603
hurry1611
gall1614
betoil1622
weary1633
tribulatea1637
harass1656
dun1659
overharry1665
worry1671
haul1678
to plague the life out of1746
badger1782
hatchel1800
worry1811
bedevil1823
devil1823
victimize1830
frab1848
mither1848
to pester the life out of1848
haik1855
beplague1870
chevy1872
obsede1876
to get on ——1880
to load up with1880
tail-twist1898
hassle1901
heckle1920
snooter1923
hassle1945
to breathe down (the back of) (someone's) neck1946
to bust (a person's) chops1953
noodge1960
monster1967
the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > worry about [verb (transitive)]
obsess1531
to bite one's nails1577
to doubt of1577
worry1959
1727 E. Laurence Duty of Steward 55 The Tenants..have been suffer'd to..worry out the strength of the Land by sowing Rape, &c.
1807 J. Beresford Miseries Human Life II. xx. 250 You at last worry out a solitary spark [from the flint].
1811 J. Austen Sense & Sensibility II. x. 186 She was sometimes worried down by officious condolence to rate good-breeding as more indispensable to comfort than good-nature. View more context for this quotation
1870 E. E. Hale Ten Times One iii. 61 While she ‘worried down’ the tea, and ate a slice of toast.
1890 Nature 4 Sept. 455/2 All such points he will delight to worry out for himself.
1894 S. R. Crockett Play-actress iv. 52 Worrying out a knotty point in the ‘Original Hebrew’.
1898 L. Stephen Stud. of Biographer II. ii. 48 Scott..worried his way into some understanding of the language by main force.
1920 A. Hope Lucinda ii. 24 Waldo was not quick-witted, but he had a good brain. If he got hold of a problem, he would worry it to a solution.
1959 N. Mailer Advts. for Myself (1961) 119 He had always asked too many questions, he had worried the task too severely.
1963 Notes & Queries Dec. 443/1 I shall not worry the distinction between alba and aube.
1978 T. L. Smith Money War i. 17 He had worried the chance meeting on the flight home.
d. To irritate (an animal) by a repetition of feigned attacks, etc.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > ill-treatment > ill-treat [verb (transitive)] > an animal in specific way
vex1625
worry1807
canister1815
tail-pipe1815
1807–8 S. Smith P. Plymley's Lett. in Wks. (1859) II. 146/2 I admit there is a vast luxury in selecting a particular set of Christians, and in worrying them as a boy worries a puppy dog.
1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop i. xxi. 212 Hissing and worrying the animal [a chained dog] till he was nearly mad.
e. U.S. To afflict with physical fatigue or distress.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sleeping and waking > weariness or exhaustion > weary or exhaust [verb (transitive)]
wearyc897
tirea1000
travailc1300
forwearya1325
taryc1375
tarc1440
matec1450
break1483
labour1496
overwearya1500
wear?1507
to wear out, forth1525
fatigate1535
stress1540
overtire1558
forwaste1563
to tire out1563
overwear1578
spend1582
out-tire1596
outwear1596
outweary1596
overspend1596
to toil out1596
attediate1603
bejade1620
lassate1623
harassa1626
overtask1628
tax1672
hag1674
trash1685
hatter1687
overtax1692
fatigue1693
to knock up1740
tire to death1740
overfatigue1741
fag1774
outdo1776
to do over1789
to use up1790
jade1798
overdo1817
frazzlea1825
worry1828
to sew up1837
to wear to death1840
to take it (also a lot, too much, etc.) out of (a person)1847
gruel1850
to stump up1853
exhaust1860
finish1864
peter1869
knacker1886
grind1887
tew1893
crease1925
poop1931
raddle1951
1828 N. Webster Amer. Dict. Eng. Lang. Worry..2. To fatigue; to harass with labor; a popular sense of the word.
1876 J. G. Holland Story of Sevenoaks (new ed.) v. 66 For three steady hours he went on, the horse no more worried than if he had been standing in the stable.
Categories »
f. Fencing. to worry the sword: ‘to fret one's opponent by small movements in rapid succession which seem about to result in thrusts or feints’ ( Cent. Dict.).
6.
a. In lighter sense: To vex, distress, or persecute by inconsiderate or importunate behaviour; to plague or pester with reiterated demands, requests, or the like.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being harassed > harass [verb (transitive)]
tawc893
ermec897
swencheOE
besetOE
bestandc1000
teenOE
baitc1175
grieve?c1225
war?c1225
noyc1300
pursuec1300
travailc1300
to work (also do) annoyc1300
tribula1325
worka1325
to hold wakenc1330
chase1340
twistc1374
wrap1380
cumbera1400
harrya1400
vexc1410
encumber1413
inquiet1413
molest?a1425
course1466
persecutec1475
trouble1489
sturt1513
hare1523
hag1525
hale1530
exercise1531
to grate on or upon1532
to hold or keep waking1533
infest1533
scourge1540
molestate1543
pinch1548
trounce1551
to shake upa1556
tire1558
moila1560
pester1566
importune1578
hunt1583
moider1587
bebait1589
commacerate1596
bepester1600
ferret1600
harsell1603
hurry1611
gall1614
betoil1622
weary1633
tribulatea1637
harass1656
dun1659
overharry1665
worry1671
haul1678
to plague the life out of1746
badger1782
hatchel1800
worry1811
bedevil1823
devil1823
victimize1830
frab1848
mither1848
to pester the life out of1848
haik1855
beplague1870
chevy1872
obsede1876
to get on ——1880
to load up with1880
tail-twist1898
hassle1901
heckle1920
snooter1923
hassle1945
to breathe down (the back of) (someone's) neck1946
to bust (a person's) chops1953
noodge1960
monster1967
1671 J. Milton Samson Agonistes 906 Witness when I was worried with thy peals. View more context for this quotation
1728 J. Gay Beggar's Opera ii. xiii. 36 'Tis barbarous in you to worry a Gentleman in his Circumstances.
a1790 B. Franklin Autobiogr. (1981) iii. 143 Governor Morris..had continually worried the Assembly w.th Message after Message.
1841 C. Dickens Old Curiosity Shop i. vii. 116 You worry me to death with your chattering.
1846 W. S. Landor Albani & Picture-dealers in Wks. II. 9 I am infested and persecuted and worried to death by duns. They belabor and martellate my ears.
1882 M. E. Braddon Mt. Royal II. v. 103 She will worry you till you give your consent.
1885 Manch. Examiner 15 July 5/3 The supply of ignorant ciceroni to worry visitors with their foolish babblement.
1888 A. Jessopp Coming of Friars vi. 281 The scholars were not to be worried with everlasting ritual observances.
1927 J. B. Priestley Adam in Moonshine x. 203 They won't really do anything but worry you with questions.
b. with adverb complement as out, out of (something).
ΚΠ
1729 J. Swift Grand Quest. (1732) 8 But, Madam, I beg, you'll contrive and invent, And worry him out, till he gives his Consent.
1853 G. J. Whyte-Melville Digby Grand I. x. 269 Addressing ‘dear Angelina’ in an affectionate whisper that would never have led one to suppose she worried the poor girl's life out at home.
1876 J. G. Holland Story of Sevenoaks (new ed.) xv. 209 She..had worried him out of his life, and he had gone and left her childless.
1898 Times 18 Oct. 9/3 If by chance it [the French Government] imagines that this country is going to be worried out of the position taken up by Lord Salisbury, it is making a very grave mistake.
7.
a. To cause distress of mind to; to afflict with mental trouble or agitation; to make anxious and ill at ease. Chiefly of a cause or circumstance, or reflexive or passive.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > worry about [verb (transitive)] > cause worry to
busyeOE
fretc1290
exercise1531
to lead, rarely give (a person) a dancea1545
pingle1740
potter1763
fidget1785
worrit1818
worry1822
bite1909
disquieten1921
to stress out1983
1822 W. Hazlitt Table-talk xxiii. (On great and little Things) Small pains are..more within our reach; we can fret and worry ourselves about them.
1822 W. Irving Bachelor's Conf. in Bracebridge Hall He had settled the point which had been worrying his mind.
1846 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) v. 36 I quite fret and worry myself about her.
1866 ‘G. Eliot’ Felix Holt I. i. 41 Increasing anxieties about money had worried her.
1867 A. Trollope Last Chron. Barset II. lvi. 121 Men when they are worried by fears..become suspicious.
1875 Mrs. Randolph Wild Hyacinth I. 74 Don't worry yourself about it, my love.
1876 L. Stephen Hours in Libr. 2nd Ser. vii. 330 This self-plagiarism sometimes worries us.
1889 ‘J. S. Winter’ Mrs. Bob (1891) xxi. 238 It puzzles me and worries me to guess why Miss Lavinia always wanted to drop the subject.
b. in past participle, denoting a state of mind.
ΚΠ
1863 Princess Alice Mem. (1884) 60 I am sure, dear Mama, you are worried to death about it.
1867 A. Trollope Last Chron. Barset I. xxi. 179 The subject..was a sore one, and he was worried a little.
1872 ‘G. Eliot’ Middlemarch II. iii. xxiii. 25 He felt a little worried and wearied, perhaps with mental debate.
1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VIII. 602 Some patients are attacked [by lichen] when worried or in low condition.
c. intransitive (for reflexive). To give way to anxiety or mental disquietude. Also in colloquial phrases, as I should worry: see shall v. 18d; not to worry: see not adv. 5a(c).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > be worried [verb (intransitive)]
to annoy of?c1400
fret1551
moil1567
ferret1807
worrit1854
worry1860
whittle1880
fidget1884
agonize1915
to worry (oneself), be worried, sick1952
to stress out1983
stress1988
1860 J. E. Worcester Dict. Eng. Lang. Worry v.n., to indulge in idle complaining; to fret; to be troubled. (Colloquial.) Roget.
1861 J. G. Holland Lessons in Life xiii. 181 When she can find nothing to do, then she worries.
1874 Ld. Coleridge in Life (1904) II. ix. 244 ‘Don't coddle and don't worry’ is his recipe for longevity.
1879 H. George Progress & Poverty (1881) ix. iv. 414 Men would no more worry about finding employment than they worry about finding air to breathe.
1901 T. J. Alldridge Sherbro xx. 205 My head-man..begged me not to worry.
8. intransitive with adverb complement (cf. the transferred uses 5b, 5c, 6b above):
a. To advance or progress by a harassing or dogged effort; to force or work one's way through. Of the wind: To go on blowing in a harassing way.
ΘΚΠ
the world > movement > motion in a certain direction > forward movement > move forward or advance [verb (intransitive)] > with persistence, effort, or urgency
shovec888
thringc893
thresta1225
wina1300
thrustc1330
pressa1375
throngc1440
wrestc1450
thrimp1513
to put forward1529
intrude1562
breast1581
shoulder1581
haggle1582
strivea1586
wrestle1591
to push on (also along)1602
elabour1606
contend1609
to put on?1611
struggle1686
worry1702
crush1755
squeege1783
battle1797
scrouge1798
sweat1856
flounder1861
pull?1863
tank1939
bulldozer1952
terrier1959
the mind > will > decision > perseverance or persistence > persevere or persist [verb (intransitive)] > slowly and laboriously
worry1702
to worry one's way1727
peg1805
plug1867
worry1871
bore1875
pedgill1913
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > wind > blow (of the wind) [verb (intransitive)] > blow strongly > continue in a harassing way
worry1883
1702 C. Beaumont J. Beaumont's Psyche (new ed.) iv. xcvii. 46 Yet worying among the waves they spy'd A wracked Mortal.
1702 C. Beaumont J. Beaumont's Psyche (new ed.) xiii. iv. 194 Winter..worries forward at his due Determin'd season, spight of all the Ice Which clogs his heels.
1819 W. Irving Spectre Bridegroom in Sketch Bk. iv. 311 He was naturally a fuming, bustling little man, and could not remain passive... He worried from top to bottom of the castle, with an air of infinite anxiety.
1883 J. A. Symonds Ital. Byways i. 13 For the next three days the wind went worrying on.
1901 Daily Express 21 Mar. 7/1 In the end we worried through and..anchored.
1903 R. Kipling Five Nations 211 When the wind worries through the 'ills.
b. To get through (a business, piece of work) by persistent effort or struggle; so with through adv. to worry along: to contrive to live, ‘keep going’, in the teeth of trials or difficulties (U.S.).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > perseverance or persistence > persevere or persist [verb (intransitive)]
continuec1340
perseverec1380
stick1447
to rub on1469
to stick unto ——1529
persist1531
to make it tougha1549
whilea1617
subsist1632
to rub along1668
let the world rub1677
dog1692
wade1714
to stem one's course1826
to stick in1853
to hang on1860
to worry along1871
to stay the course1885
slug1943
to slug it out1943
to bash on1950
to soldier on1954
to keep on trucking1972
the world > action or operation > difficulty > present difficulties [verb (intransitive)] > have difficulty > act or live through difficulties
scamblec1571
scramble1670
shift1723
manage1762
scrub1831
to struggle on1837
scratch1838
widdle1844
to worry along1871
to scrape along1884
to get by1908
scuffle1939
the mind > will > decision > perseverance or persistence > persevere or persist [verb (intransitive)] > slowly and laboriously
worry1702
to worry one's way1727
peg1805
plug1867
worry1871
bore1875
pedgill1913
the world > action or operation > continuing > following up, through, or prosecution > follow up, through, or out [verb (transitive)] > to the end > by effort
worry1871
1871 ‘M. Twain’ Screamers xxix. 146 My friend, you seem to know pretty much all the tunes there are, and you worry along first rate.
1873 W. D. Howells Chance Acquaintance xiii. 276 She must..try to worry along without him.
1876 W. Besant & J. Rice Golden Butterfly II. vii. 114 I worried through that war without a scratch.
1878 W. Besant & J. Rice By Celia's Arbour I. xii. 167 Often on Saturday night I wonder how I have managed to worry through the work of the week.
1885 W. D. Howells Rise Silas Lapham xi. 214 I think I can manage to worry along.
1899 Westm. Gaz. 7 Oct. 2/2 The British farmer has..much to contend with, but on the whole he worries through a great deal more successfully than could be expected.
Compounds
worryguts n. dialect and colloquial = worry wart n.; frequently as a term of address.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > [noun] > one who worries
fidget1816
worrit1889
worrier1891
worryguts1932
worry wart1956
1932 Somerset Year Bk. 83 The missis, who be a prapper worryguts.
1966 O. Norton School of Liars iv. 72 He laughed. ‘Worryguts!’ ‘I wasn't worried. I was just trying to be efficient.’
1982 D. Phillips Coconut Kiss ix. 94 It's all right..isn't it?’ I asked. ‘'Course it is, Worryguts,’ said Vera.
ΘΚΠ
the world > plants > particular plants > cultivated or valued plants > particular food plant or plant product > particular types of fruit > [noun] > pear > other types of
calewey1377
honey peara1400
pome-pear1440
pome-wardena1513
choke-pear1530
muscadel1555
worry pear1562
lording1573
bon-chrétienc1575
Burgundian pear1578
king pear1585
pound pear1585
poppering1597
wood of Jerusalem1597
muscadine1598
amiot1600
bergamot1600
butter pear1600
dew-pear1600
greening1600
mollart1600
roset1600
wax pear1600
bottle pear1601
gourd-pear1601
Venerian pear1601
musk pear1611
rose pear1611
pusill1615
Christian1629
nutmeg1629
rolling pear1629
surreine1629
sweater1629
amber pear1638
Venus-pear1648
horse-pear1657
Martin1658
russet1658
rousselet1660
diego1664
frith-pear1664
maudlin1664
Messire Jean1664
primate1664
sovereign1664
spindle-pear1664
stopple-pear1664
sugar-pear1664
virgin1664
Windsor pear1664
violet-pear1666
nonsuch1674
muscat1675
burnt-cat1676
squash pear1676
rose1678
Longueville1681
maiden-heart1685
ambrette1686
vermilion1691
admiral1693
sanguinole1693
satin1693
St. Germain pear1693
pounder pear1697
vine-pear1704
amadot1706
marchioness1706
marquise1706
Margaret1707
short-neck1707
musk1708
burree1719
marquis1728
union pear1728
Doyenne pear1731
Magdalene1731
beurré1736
colmar1736
Monsieur Jean1736
muscadella1736
swan's egg1736
chaumontel1755
St Michael's pear1796
Williams1807
Marie Louise1817
seckel1817
Bartlett1828
vergaloo1828
Passe Colmar1837
glou-morceau1859
London sugar1860
snow-pear1860
Comice1866
Kieffer pear1880
sand pear1880
sandy pear1884
snowy pear1884
1562 W. Turner 2nd Pt. Herball f. 108 The wyld Pere tre or chouke Pere tre or worry Pear tre.
worry wart n. colloquial (chiefly U.S.) an inveterate worrier, one who frets unnecessarily.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > state of being upset or perturbed > worry > [noun] > one who worries
fidget1816
worrit1889
worrier1891
worryguts1932
worry wart1956
1956 I. Belknap Human Probl. of State Mental Hosp. x. 177 The persevering, nagging delusional group—who were termed ‘worry warts’, ‘nuisances’, ‘bird dogs’, in the attendants' slang.
1974 J. Heller Something Happened 445 ‘Don't be such a worry wart.’ ‘Don't use that phrase. It makes my skin prickle.’
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1928; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1804
v.c725