Meaning & use
harassing
Last updated
“harassing” is a form of “harass”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
verbtransitive
Subjecting someone to repeated unwanted behavior, attention, or pressure that causes distress.
Grammar: Takes an object: harassing someone. The -ing form can be part of a continuous tense or used as an adjective.
Patterns
- harassing someone
- be harassing someone
- harassing someone for something
He was harassing his coworkers with constant unwanted messages.
The company was fined for harassing employees who reported safety problems.
Stop harassing me for an answer; I'll decide when I'm ready.
Word forms
| third person singular | harasses |
|---|---|
| past tense | harassed |
| past participle | harassed |
| present participle | harassing |
Common combinations
- harassing phone calls
- She received harassing phone calls late at night.
- harassing behavior
- The school has a zero-tolerance policy for harassing behavior.
- stop harassing
- He was told to stop harassing his former partner.
- accused of harassing
- The manager was accused of harassing a junior employee.
Synonyms and how they differ
- pestering
- Often means annoying someone with repeated requests, but usually less serious and not necessarily illegal.
- tormenting
- Stronger and more emotional; causing severe suffering, not just unwanted pressure.
- bullying
- Repeated aggressive behavior, often by someone with more power, typically in school or workplace settings.
Opposites
Word family
- harassment noun
- The act of harassing someone or the state of being harassed.
- harasser noun
- A person who harasses others.
- harassed adjective
- Feeling worried and tired because of too many demands or unwanted attention.
Commonly confused: harassing or harrassing?
harassing vs harrassing
This is a common misspelling. The correct spelling has one 'r' and two 's's: harassing.
Practice
Which is the correct spelling?
Choose one answer.
'Harassing' has one 'r' and two 's's. The misspelling 'harrassing' adds an extra 'r'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “harassing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.