bothering

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both·er

(bŏth′ər)

v. both·ered, both·er·ing, both·ers

v.tr.

1. To cause to be irritated, especially by repeated acts; trouble or annoy: "I spoke French badly. So I always replied to him in English. This didn't bother him" (Paul Theroux). See Synonyms at annoy.

2. To make agitated or perplexed; upset: "Jerry could see ... how much the doctor had been bothered by the failure of the first surgery" (Rick Bass).

3. To intrude on without warrant or invitation; disturb: "When I saw him slumped in a chair, deep in thought, I decided not to bother him" (Pat Toomay).

4. To give discomfort or pain to: a back condition that bothers her constantly.

5. To take the trouble (to do something); concern oneself with (accomplishing something): "Most people [with the syndrome] have such mild symptoms that they never bother to see a doctor" (Jane E. Brody).

v.intr.

To take trouble; concern oneself: "old, hard-to-reach coal seams that were too complex or dangerous for other coal companies to bother with" (Jeff Goodell).

A cause or state of disturbance.

interj.

Used to express annoyance or mild irritation.

[Probably from dialectal bodder, possibly of Celtic origin.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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bothering

noun

The act of annoying:

annoyance, botheration, exasperation, harassment, irritation, pestering, provocation, vexation.

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Then she grabbed up the basket and slammed it across the house and knocked the cat galley-west; and she said cle'r out and let her have some peace, and if we come bothering around her again betwixt that and dinner she'd skin us.

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"The fact is, my dear, I hadn't any intention of bothering you with details.

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Bothering flamingos -- or any wild birds -- and accessing Larnaca's salt lake is illegal, the game and fauna service warned on Tuesday.

Game service warns people to keep distance from flamingos

One day I was listening to music, and the cop threatened to confiscate my speaker, even though it was in the middle of the day and wasn't bothering anybody.