tease

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++

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tease1 /tiːz/ ●●○ verb  1  laugh 笑 [intransitive, transitive]MAKE FUN OF to laugh at someone and make jokes in order to have fun by embarrassing them, either in a friendly way or in an unkind way 戏弄，逗弄；拿…取笑[开玩笑] Don’t get upset. I was only teasing. 别生气，我只是在逗你玩。 He used to tease her mercilessly. 他过去总是无情地取笑她。tease somebody about something She used to tease me about my hair. 她过去总是取笑我的头发。 RegisterIn everyday English, people often say make fun of rather than tease: 在日常英语中，人们常说make fun of，而不说teaseStop making fun of me! 别再取笑我了！2  annoy an animal 激怒动物 [transitive]ANNOY to deliberately annoy an animal 〔故意地〕逗弄，招惹〔动物〕 Stop teasing the cat! 别再招惹那只猫了！3. sex 性 [intransitive, transitive]TALK TO somebody to deliberately make someone sexually excited without intending to have sex with them, in a way that seems unkind 挑逗，撩拨〔使某人性兴奋〕4. hair 头发 [transitive] American EnglishDCB to comb your hair in the opposite direction to which it grows, so that it looks thicker 回梳，逆梳〔以使头发显得浓密〕 SYN British English backcomb5 tease something ↔ out phrasal verb a) PERSUADEto succeed in learning information that is hidden, or that someone does not want to tell you 找出〔隐藏的信息〕；〔从某人嘴里〕哄出〔秘密〕 of I finally managed to tease the truth out of her. 我终于哄她说出了真相。b) SEPARATEto gently move hairs or threads that are stuck together so that they become loose or straight again 把〔头发或线绳〕理顺 She combed her hair, gently teasing out the knots. 她梳理着头发，轻轻地把结梳开。n THESAURUStease to laugh at someone and make jokes in order to have fun by embarrassing them, either in a friendly way or in an unkind way. In everyday English, people often say make fun of rather than teaseAt work, we all tease her because she’s always late.Sam’s sisters used to tease him because he was overweight.make fun of somebody/something to tease someone, especially in an unkind way, by laughing at something they do and making them seem stupidThe boys at school used to make fun of me and call me names.Everyone made fun of the way our Maths teacher walked.taunt /tɔːnt/ to tease someone in a very unpleasant way that shows you do not respect them, in order to make them angry or upsetIn the end he hit the man for taunting him about his wife.The other prisoners taunted him until he couldn’t bear it any more.pull somebody’s leg informal to tease someone in a friendly way, by trying to make them think something is true when it is notI’m not really 18. I was only pulling your leg.I don’t believe you! You’re pulling my leg!wind somebody up British English informal to deliberately say something to someone, in order to see if they become annoyed or worriedAre you trying to wind me up?My friends are always winding me up about it. take the mickey (out of somebody) British English informal to make someone look silly, often in a friendly way, for example by copying them or saying something that you do not really mean about themI don’t speak like that – stop taking the mickey!‘You’re a genius, we all know that!’ ‘Are you taking the mickey out of me?’→ See Verb table

Examples from the Corpus

tease• Don't get upset, Stuart, she's only teasing.• I didn't mean to make you mad; I was only teasing.• They always do that, the saucy wenches, they like to tease and make me beg for them to come back.• Donna's only interested in teasing guys.• He teased her by trying to feed her chocolate profiteroles.• But he felt bad about teasing her.• I tease him about his prejudice.• Sam's sisters used to tease him because he was overweight.• The dog's going to bite you if you don't stop teasing it.• Kevin's always teasing me about my cooking.• Brad was one of the kids who used to tease me at school.• I knew Katie would tease me later about being a baby but I didn't care.• There is another physical law that teases me, too: the Doppler Effect.• And when they stopped begging, he would tease them.tease somebody about something• If I were you, I wouldn't tease Gerri about her hair.tease2 noun [countable] informal  1  MAKE FUN OFsomeone who enjoys making jokes at people, and embarrassing them, especially in a friendly way 爱开玩笑的人，爱戏弄别人的人〔尤指无恶意〕 Don’t take any notice of Joe – he’s a big tease. 不要搭理乔——他特别爱戏弄人。2  something that you say or do as a joke, to tease someone 戏弄，捉弄，取笑，玩笑 I’m sorry, it was only a tease. 对不起，只是开个玩笑。3. SEXYsomeone who deliberately makes you sexually excited, but has no intention of having sex with you 性挑逗者

Examples from the Corpus

tease• The movie preview should be a tease of what is to follow.• By definition, a tease lasts about ten seconds or less and the information it contains works like a headline.• But exhilaration is like any other high, a tease, a trick.• What a tease life was, to be sure!• Erin's such a big tease.• As one increasingly explicit act followed another, it became clear that the emphasis is on strip rather than tease.• The tease is designed to be very effective, very quickly.• What had happened in the kitchen was a calculated wooing, tease, flirtation, safely outrageous.Origin tease1 Old English tæsan

tease1 verb →REGISTER1 →n THESAURUS1tease2 nounLDOCE OnlineChinese  

to and at Corpus jokes someone order laugh make to in

tease

I

tease¹ /tiːz/ verb1.  LAUGH  [intransitive and transitive] to laugh at someone and make jokes in order to have fun by embarrassing them, either in a friendly way or in an unkind way:
    Don’t get upset. I was only teasing.
    He used to tease her mercilessly.
    tease somebody about something
    She used to tease me about my hair.
  REGISTER
    In everyday English, people often say make fun of rather than tease:
   ▪ Stop making fun of me!
2.  ANNOY AN ANIMAL  [transitive] to deliberately annoy an animal:
    Stop teasing the cat!
3.  SEX  [intransitive and transitive] to deliberately make someone sexually excited without intending to have sex with them, in a way that seems unkind
4.  HAIR  [transitive] American English to comb your hair in the opposite direction to which it grows, so that it looks thicker
   SYN  backcomb British English
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ tease to laugh at someone and make jokes in order to have fun by embarrassing them, either in a friendly way or in an unkind way. In everyday English, people often say make fun of rather than tease: At work, we all tease her because she’s always late. | Sam’s sisters used to tease him because he was overweight.
   ▪ make fun of somebody/something to tease someone, especially in an unkind way, by laughing at something they do and making them seem stupid: The boys at school used to make fun of me and call me names. | Everyone made fun of the way our Maths teacher walked.
   ▪ taunt /tɔːnt tɔːnt/ to tease someone in a very unpleasant way that shows you do not respect them, in order to make them angry or upset: In the end he hit the man for taunting him about his wife. | The other prisoners taunted him until he couldn’t bear it any more.
   ▪ pull sb’s leg informal to tease someone in a friendly way, by trying to make them think something is true when it is not: I’m not really 18. I was only pulling your leg. | I don’t believe you! You’re pulling my leg!
   ▪ wind somebody up British English informal to deliberately say something to someone, in order to see if they become annoyed or worried: Are you trying to wind me up? | My friends are always winding me up about it.
   ▪ take the mickey (out of somebody) British English informal to make someone look silly, often in a friendly way, for example by copying them or saying something that you do not really mean about them: I don’t speak like that – stop taking the mickey! | ‘You’re a genius, we all know that!’ ‘Are you taking the mickey out of me?’
     
tease something ↔ out phrasal verb
  1. to succeed in learning information that is hidden, or that someone does not want to tell you
    tease something ↔ out of
    I finally managed to tease the truth out of her.
  2. to gently move hairs or threads that are stuck together so that they become loose or straight again:
    She combed her hair, gently teasing out the knots.

II

tease² noun [countable] informal
1. someone who enjoys making jokes at people, and embarrassing them, especially in a friendly way:
    Don’t take any notice of Joe – he’s a big tease.
2. something that you say or do as a joke, to tease someone:
    I’m sorry, it was only a tease.
3. someone who deliberately makes you sexually excited, but has no intention of having sex with you