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worry

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The definition of a worry is something that causes you to feel uneasy or anxious, or a troubled state of mind.

(noun)

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.

(verb)

When you are thinking about all the things that could go wrong, this is an example of a situation where you worry.

See worry in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb worried, worrying

1. to harass or treat roughly with or as with continual biting or tearing with the teeth: a dog worrying a bone
2. 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

intransitive verb

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. worries

the act of worrying
a troubled state of mind; anxiety; distress; care; uneasiness
something that causes anxiety

Related Forms:

worrier noun

See worry in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb wor·ried (wûrˈēd, wŭrˈ-), wor·ry·ing, wor·ries (wûrˈēz, wŭrˈ-)

verb, intransitive

To feel uneasy or concerned about something; be troubled. See Synonyms at brood.
To pull or tear at something with or as if with the teeth.
To proceed doggedly in the face of difficulty or hardship; struggle: worried along at the problem.

verb, transitive

To cause to feel anxious, distressed, or troubled. See Synonyms at trouble.
To bother or annoy, as with petty complaints.
a. To seize with the teeth and shake or tug at repeatedly: a dog worrying a bone.
b. To attack roughly and repeatedly; harass.
c. To touch, move, or handle idly; toy with: worrying the loose tooth with his tongue.

noun pl. wor·ries

The act of worrying or the condition of being worried; persistent mental uneasiness. See Synonyms at anxiety.
A source of nagging concern or uneasiness.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English werien, worien, to strangle

Origin: , from Old English wyrgan; see wer-² in Indo-European roots

Related Forms:

worˈri·er noun

Word History: Worrying may shorten one's life, but not as quickly as it once did. The ancestor of our word, Old English wyrgan, meant “to strangle.” Its Middle English descendant, worien, kept this sense and developed the new sense “to grasp by the throat with the teeth and lacerate” or “to kill or injure by biting and shaking.” This is the way wolves or dogs might attack sheep, for example. In the 16th century worry began to be used in the sense “to harass, as by rough treatment or attack,” or “to assault verbally,” and in the 17th century the word took on the sense “to bother, distress, or persecute.” It was a small step from this sense to the main modern senses “to cause to feel anxious or distressed” and “to feel troubled or uneasy,” first recorded in the 19th century.

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