bother

Valid in Scrabble

Scrabble points
11
Words With Friends
11
Letters
6
Pronunciation
/ˈbɔðə(ɹ)/
See all 3 pronunciations
/ˈbɔðə(ɹ)/ · /ˈbɒðə(ɹ)/ · /ˈbɑðɚ/

Definition of bother

8 senses · 3 parts of speech · etymology included

verb

  1. (transitive)To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for.
    “Would it bother you if I smoked?”
See all 8 definitions

verb

  1. (transitive)To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for.
    “Would it bother you if I smoked?”
  2. (euphemistic, imperative, transitive)To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for.
  3. (intransitive, reflexive)To feel care or concern; to burden or inconvenience oneself out of concern.
    “I never bother about such trivialities.”
    “I wouldn't bother with an umbrella if I were you.”
    “To expand, without bothering about it—without shiftless timidity on one side, or loquacious eagerness on the other—to the full compass of what he would have called a "pleasant" experience, was Newman's most definite programme of life.”
  4. (catenative, intransitive)To take the trouble, to trouble oneself (to do something).
    “Why do I even bother to try?”
  5. (catenative, intransitive)To take the trouble, to trouble oneself (to do something).
    “You didn’t even bother to close the door.”

noun

  1. (countable, uncountable)Fuss, ado.
    “There was a bit of bother at the hairdresser's when they couldn't find my appointment in the book.”
    “It was a 15-minute return trip to walk back home to pick up my device, but I weighed it up and decided that it wasn’t worth the bother.”
  2. (countable, uncountable)Trouble, inconvenience.
    “Yes, I can do that for you—it’s no bother.”

intj

  1. (dated, euphemistic)A mild expression of annoyance.
    “She flung off her sealskin paletot and the beautiful felt hat, not heeding that they rolled off the untidy bed upon the floor. / “Sarah,” whispered Mrs. Malone, “what you goin’ to do? Look at your elegant clothes on the floor.” / “Oh, bother!” retorted Sarah.”
    “[H]e suddenly flung down his brush on the floor, said "Bother!" and "Oh blow!" and also "Hang spring-cleaning!" and bolted out of the house without even waiting to put on his coat.”
    “"Oh, help!" said Pooh. "I'd better go back." "Oh, bother!" said Pooh. "I shall have to go on." "I can't do either!" said Pooh. "Oh, help and bother!"”

Definitions from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA.

Etymology

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”).

Anagrams of bother

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