transitive verb worried, worrying
- to harass or treat roughly with or as with continual biting or tearing with the teeth: a dog worrying a bone
- to pluck at, push on, touch, etc. repeatedly in a nervous or determined way: worrying the loose tooth with his tongue
- to annoy, bother, harass, vex, etc.
- to cause to feel troubled or uneasy; make anxious; distress
Origin:
ME wirwen < OE wyrgan, to strangle, injure, akin to Ger würgen, to strangle < IE *werĝh-, to twist, choke < base *wer-, to twist > worm