bother

1 of 2

verb

both·​er ˈbä-t͟hər How to pronounce bother (audio)
bothered; bothering ˈbät͟h-riŋ How to pronounce bother (audio)
ˈbä-t͟hə-

transitive verb

1
: to annoy especially by petty provocation : irk
It bothers her when people litter.
bothered by the itchy tag on his shirt
2
: to intrude upon : pester
Don't bother him when he's working.
3
: to cause to be somewhat anxious or concerned
My stomach is bothering me.
often used interjectionally
Oh, bother!

intransitive verb

1
: to become concerned
wouldn't bother with details
2
: to take pains (see pain entry 1 sense 3) : take the trouble
never bothered to ask

bother

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a state of petty discomfort, annoyance, or worry
when scenery gets mixed up with our personal bothers all the virtue goes out of itEdith Wharton
b
: something that causes petty annoyance or worry
Fixing it would be too much of a bother.
Sorry to be such a bother, but I need your help.
2
: fuss, inconvenience
doesn't want the bother of filling out all the forms again
Choose the Right Synonym for bother

annoy, vex, irk, bother mean to upset a person's composure.

annoy implies a wearing on the nerves by persistent petty unpleasantness.

their constant complaining annoys us

vex implies greater provocation and stronger disturbance and usually connotes anger but sometimes perplexity or anxiety.

vexed by her son's failure to clean his room

irk stresses difficulty in enduring and the resulting weariness or impatience of spirit.

careless waste irks the boss

bother suggests interference with comfort or peace of mind.

don't bother me while I'm reading

Examples of bother in a Sentence

Verb He's so easygoing. Nothing seems to bother him. Something he said at the meeting has been bothering me. The entire car trip was filled with complaints like, “Mom, David keeps bothering me!” and “Will you tell him to quit bothering me?”. Mother used to cook elaborate dinners, but with only herself to cook for, she doesn't bother anymore. “Should I call later?” “No, don't bother.” I'm not going to bother with the details. Noun Replacing the windows could be more of a bother than it's worth. I know what a bother driving into the city can be this time of day. “Sorry to bother you.” “That's okay, it's no bother at all.” I considered replacing that part of the floor but decided it wasn't worth the bother. He doesn't want the bother of filling out all those forms again. Will you mail this for me? It will save me the bother of going to the post office.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Executives with Arrowhead Country Club in Glendale this week are taking responsibility for the putrid smell coming off the golf course’s sixth-hole pond, which has bothered nearby residents for years. Shawn Raymundo, The Arizona Republic, 16 Mar. 2024 If Joe Biden and Donald Trump are the only choices for president in November, how many people will not bother to vote? Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 15 Mar. 2024 Lola makes no sense to begin with — why does a social media star need to bother with the grind of endless photo ops? Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Mar. 2024 In one respect, the surveillance doesn’t bother him. Bennet Goldstein, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 Since there wasn’t a ton of people at Curly’s at the time, the couple weren’t bothered for autographs or photos. Brayden Garcia, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Mar. 2024 Locals wouldn’t bother with something so overhyped. Andrew Barrett Schrader, Southern Living, 6 Mar. 2024 Cooper, who served as a poll worker in 2022 in Washington, D.C., said the fact that some people believed votes were stolen or mail-in ballots were fraudulent after the 2020 election bothered him. Rachel Looker, USA TODAY, 5 Mar. 2024 As a young actor, Dunst didn’t have the confidence to speak up when things bothered her. Zack Sharf, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024
Noun
His bother said the landslide occurred about three hours before Sanjay’s shift was to end on the morning of Nov. 12. Suhasini Raj, New York Times, 27 Nov. 2023 Stars reflect the overall quality of reviews and our own independent assessment (5 stars=don’t miss; 1 star=don’t bother). The Week Uk, theweek, 11 Jan. 2024 That’s a lot of bother just to rehab what are essentially minor characters. Robert Ito, New York Times, 15 Dec. 2023 Others decide that pesky little rules, such as answering invitations or expressing gratitude, are an unnecessary bother. Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2023 Only a tiny bit of humidity was hopefully not a bother. A. Camden Walker, Washington Post, 30 Sep. 2023 As stainless-steel straws are reusable long-term and all tested PFAS-free, the study authors suggest the use of these straws for bother environmental and health-related reasons. Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA TODAY, 29 Aug. 2023 Pharmacies still have to get specially certified to dole out the medication, and very few bother. Emily Mullin, WIRED, 21 June 2023 The northwest wind is no bother for the rows' lead turbines, but thanks to wind wakes each following turbine captures 30-40 percent less energy than its upstream neighbor. IEEE Spectrum, 14 Mar. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bother.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

of obscure origin

Note: Early attestations strongly associate the word with Ireland, though if bother is authentically Hiberno-English, the interdental consonant must be secondary, perhaps by association with earlier pother entry 1, itself of obscure origin. A hypothetical link with Irish bodhar "deaf, confused" is improbable given that the internal dental consonant in Irish was lost by 1300.

Noun

noun derivative of bother entry 1

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1745, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1761, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of bother was circa 1745

Dictionary Entries Near bother

Cite this Entry

“Bother.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bother. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bother

1 of 2 verb
both·​er ˈbät͟h-ər How to pronounce bother (audio)
bothered; bothering -(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce bother (audio)
1
a
: to upset often with minor details : annoy
b
: to intrude upon : interrupt
2
a
: to cause to be worried or concerned
b
: to become concerned
3
: to take the trouble : make an effort
don't bother to knock

bother

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: the state of being bothered
b
: someone or something that bothers in a small way
what a bother a cold can be
2

More from Merriam-Webster on bother

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!