Link Centre Dictionary

bother

bot·her

UK/ˈbɒðə(ɹ)/ US/ˈbɔðə(ɹ)/ common
verb (6) noun (2)

verb

1.

take the trouble to do something; concern oneself

  • “He did not trouble to call his mother on her birthday”
  • “Don”
Synonyms
2.

cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations

  • “Mosquitoes buzzing in my ear really bothers me”
  • “It irritates me that she never closes the door after she leaves”
Synonyms
3.

to cause inconvenience or discomfort to

  • “Sorry to trouble you, but...”
Synonyms
4.

intrude or enter uninvited

  • “Don”
5.

make nervous or agitated

  • “The mere thought of her bothered him and made his heart beat faster”
6.

noun

1.

an angry disturbance

  • “he didn”
  • “;”
  • “;”
Synonyms
2.

something or someone that causes trouble; a source of unhappiness

  • “washing dishes was a nuisance before we got a dish washer”
  • “a bit of a bother”
  • “he”
  • “s an infliction”
Synonyms

Origin

Borrowed from Scots bauther, bather (“to bother”). Origin unknown. Perhaps related to Scots pother (“to make a stir or commotion, bustle”), also of unknown origin. Compare English pother (“to poke, prod”), variant of potter (“to poke”). More at potter. Perhaps related to Irish bodhaire (“noise”), Irish bodhraim (“to deafen, annoy”).

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WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.