Meaning & use
pester
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Meanings
verbtransitive
To annoy someone by asking again and again or by repeated small actions.
Grammar: Takes an object: pester someone. Often followed by for or with: pester someone for money.
Patterns
- pester someone
- pester someone for something
- pester someone with something
- pester someone to do something
The children pestered their mother for ice cream all afternoon.
Stop pestering me with questions while I'm on the phone.
He kept pestering her to lend him her car.
verbtransitive
To trouble or bother someone continually in a way that is hard to escape.
Grammar: Takes an object; often used in the passive: be pestered by something.
Patterns
- pester someone
- be pestered by something
The tourists were pestered by flies at the picnic.
Debts pestered him day and night.
She felt pestered by constant phone calls from salespeople.
Word forms
| third person singular | pesters |
|---|---|
| past tense | pestered |
| past participle | pestered |
| -ing form | pestering |
Common combinations
- pester someone for something
- The kids pestered their dad for a new puppy.
- pester someone with questions
- Reporters pestered the actor with questions about his divorce.
- pester someone to do something
- She pestered her boss to give her a raise.
- constantly pester
- He constantly pestered his sister while she was studying.
- stop pestering
- Stop pestering me—I'll tell you when I'm ready.
Synonyms and how they differ
- annoy
- Annoy is more general and can mean a single act; pester suggests repeated, nagging behavior.
- bother
- Bother is milder and can be unintentional; pester is usually deliberate and persistent.
- harass
- Harass is stronger and often implies hostility or legal consequences; pester is lighter, often about children.
- nag
- Nag focuses on repeated complaints or reminders, often by a person; pester can also involve requests or actions.
Word family
- pestering noun
- The act of annoying someone repeatedly.
- pesterer noun
- A person who pesters others.
Commonly confused: pester or pester?
pester vs pester
Not to be confused with 'pasta' or 'pest'; pester means to annoy repeatedly.
Practice
Choose the correct sentence:
Choose one answer.
The verb pester takes a direct object (her brother) and can be followed by an infinitive (to borrow). Option C correctly uses 'pestered her brother to borrow'. Option A lacks the object, option B uses the wrong preposition, and option D has incorrect grammar.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pester”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.