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pester definition

pes·ter (pes′tər)

transitive verb

  1. to annoy constantly or repeatedly with petty irritations; bother; vex
  2. Obsolete to overcrowd; cram

Etymology: < obs. impester < OFr empestrer, orig., to hobble a horse at pasture, entangle < VL *impastoriare < L in-, in- + VL *pastoria, shackle (see pastern): meaning infl. by pest

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

pester Synonyms

pester

v.

annoy, harass, provoke; see bother 2.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

pester Usage Examples

Object

  • moderator: Please do not pester a group moderator if they turn your request down -- they will have their reasons.

Subject

  • salesman: We seem to spend more and more of our lives being pestered by salesmen.

Modifying Another Word

  • continually: My sights were set and I continually pestered the manager until he gave me the opportunity to design a mural for them.

Preposition: in

  • way: I am not the only writer who resents being pestered in this thoughtless way.

Preposition: by

  • salesman: We seem to spend more and more of our lives being pestered by salesmen.
pester usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

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MLA Style

"pester." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/pester>

APA Style

pester. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/pester

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