- The definition of a worry is something that causes you to feel uneasy or anxious, or a troubled state of mind.
- Not having any money is an example of a financial worry.
- The feeling you experience when you are concerned and nervous about something is an example of worry.
- To worry is defined as to feel anxiety or nervousness.
When you are thinking about all the things that could go wrong, this is an example of a situation where you worry.
worry
transitive verb
-·ried, -·ry·ing- 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 of worry
Middle English wirwen from Old English wyrgan, to strangle, injure, akin to German würgen, to strangle from Indo-European an unverified form wer?h-, to twist, choke from base an unverified form wer-, to twist from source worm- to bite, pull, or tear (at an object) with or as with the teeth
- to feel distressed in the mind; be anxious, troubled, or uneasy
- to manage to get (along or through) in the face of trials and difficulties
noun
pl. -·ries- the act of worrying
- a troubled state of mind; anxiety; distress; care; uneasiness
- something that causes anxiety
worry Idioms
not to worry!
Informal you do not need to worry!
worry
verb
wor·ried, wor·ry·ing, wor·riesverb
intransitive- To feel uneasy or concerned about something; be troubled. See Synonyms at brood.
- a. To seize something with the teeth and bite or tear repeatedly: a squirrel worrying at a nut.b. To touch or handle something nervously or persistently: worry at a hangnail.c. To attempt to deal with something in a persistent or dogged manner: worried along at the problem.
verb
transitive- To cause to feel anxious, distressed, or troubled. See Synonyms at trouble.
- a. To seize with the teeth and bite or tug at repeatedly: a dog worrying a bone.b. To touch or handle nervously or persistently: worrying the loose tooth.c. To attack roughly and repeatedly; harass: worrying the enemy ships.d. To bother or annoy, as with petty complaints.e. To attempt to deal with in a persistent or repeated manner: Analysts have worried the problem for a decade.
- To chase and nip at or attack: a dog worrying steers.
noun
pl. wor·ries- The act of worrying or the condition of being worried; persistent mental uneasiness: “Having come to a decision, the lad felt a sense of relief from the worry that had haunted him for many sleepless nights” ( Edgar Rice Burroughs )
- A source of nagging concern or uneasiness.
Origin of worry
Middle English werien, worien to strangle from Old English wyrgan ; see wer-2 in Indo-European roots.Related Forms:
- wor′ri·er
noun
worry
Verb
(third-person singular simple present worries, present participle worrying, simple past and past participle worried)
- To seize or shake by the throat, especially of a dog or wolf.
- Your dog's been worrying sheep again.
- To harass; to irritate or distress.
- The President was worried into military action by persistent advisors.
- Disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress.
- Your tone of voice worries me.
- (intransitive) To be troubled, to give way to mental anxiety.
- Stop worrying about your test, it'll be fine.
- To cause concern or anxiety.
Noun
(plural worries)
Origin
From Middle English werien, worien, wirwen "˜to choke, strangle', from Old English wyrÄ¡an, from Proto-Germanic *wurgijanÄ… (compare Dutch worgen, wurgen, German würgen), from Proto-Indo-European *werǵʰ- "˜bind, squeeze' (compare Latin urgere "˜to press, push', Lithuanian ver̃žti "˜to string; squeeze', Russian (poetic) отверзать (otverzát') "˜to open', literally "˜untie'). Related to wring.
