Liberal Dictionary English Dictionary
bother [both-er] SynonymsExamplesWord Origin See more synonyms for bother on Thesaurus.com verb (used with object)
- to give trouble to; annoy; pester; worry: His baby sister bothered him for candy.
- to bewilder; confuse: His inability to understand the joke bothered him.
verb (used without object)
- to take the trouble; trouble or inconvenience oneself: Don’t bother to call. He has no time to bother with trifles.
noun
- something troublesome, burdensome, or annoying: Doing the laundry every week can be a terrible bother.
- effort, work, or worry: Gardening takes more bother than it’s worth.
- a worried or perplexed state: Don’t get into such a bother about small matters.
- someone or something that bothers or annoys: My cousin is a perpetual bother to me.
interjection
- Chiefly British. (used to express mild irritation.)
Origin of bother 1710–20; orig. Hiberno-English; probably by hypercorrection from bodder, an alternate early form; origin obscureRelated formsun·both·ered, adjectiveun·both·er·ing, adjectiveSynonyms for bother See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.com 1. harass, vex, irritate; molest, disturb. Synonym study 1. Bother, annoy, plague, tease imply persistent interference with one’s comfort or peace of mind. Bother suggests causing trouble or weariness or repeatedly interrupting in the midst of pressing duties. To annoy is to vex or irritate by bothering. Plague is a strong word, connoting unremitting annoyance and harassment. To tease is to pester, as by long-continued whining and begging. both [bohth] adjective
- one and the other; two together: He met both sisters. Both performances were canceled.
pronoun
- the one as well as the other: Both of us were going to the party.
conjunction
- alike; equally: He is both ready and willing.
Origin of both 1125–75; Middle English bothe, bathe, influenced by Scandinavian (compare Old Norse bāthir both; cognate with German, Dutch beide, Gothic ba tho skipa both (the) ships, Old High German bêde *bai thai); replacing Middle English bo, ba, Old English bā; cognate with Gothic bai; akin to Latin ambō, Greek ámphō, Lithuanian abù, Sanskrit ubháu Related Words for bother aggravation, hinder, dismay, disturb, aggravate, perplex, bore, perturb, alarm, upset, irritate, hurt, torment, irk, plague, exacerbate, disgust, embarrass, trouble, scare Examples from the Web for bother Contemporary Examples of bother
But if the goal is to not interact with people, why bother going to a bar in the first place?
How Much Do You Tip A Robot Bartender?
Kayleigh Kulp
October 25, 2014
A soldier asks all the men to come off the bus, but only half do, and he decides not to bother with rest.
On the Bus: Ukraine’s Frontline Express Across the Battle Lines
Ted Phillips
September 8, 2014
They should ask themselves instead how anyone as bored and aloof as Barack Obama could bother himself to hate anything.
No Drama Obama’s Israel Ambivalence
James Poulos
July 26, 2014
Basically, they just stand around chain-smoking—why bother having faith in the future at this point?
‘The Leftovers’ Review: A Fever Dream You Can’t Wake Up From
Andrew Romano
June 29, 2014
They bother all these other students who have trouble focusing and are there to learn.
Is It Time for a Classroom Cellphone Ban?
Charlotte Lytton
June 24, 2014
Historical Examples of bother
It doesn’t seem to bother him any, so I don’t see why it should worry me.
Robert Barr
He’ll win the race in the stretch, an’ there won’t be many there to bother—they’ll all be beat off.
W. A. Fraser
Don’t you bother about him—he’ll come back to the others fast enough when he’s done.
W. A. Fraser
What a fool he was, to bother his head with such get-nowhere questions!
Mr. and Mrs. Haldeman-Julius
“Well, I don’t see why you bother to remain in the body at all,” I remarked.
William Dean Howells
British Dictionary definitions for bother bother verb
- (tr) to give annoyance, pain, or trouble to; irritatehis bad leg is bothering him again
- (tr) to trouble (a person) by repeatedly disturbing; pesterstop bothering your father!
- (intr) to take the time or trouble; concern oneselfdon’t bother to come with me
- (tr) to make (a person) alarmed or confusedthe thought of her husband’s return clearly bothered her
noun
- a state of worry, trouble, or confusion
- a person or thing that causes fuss, trouble, or annoyance
- informal a disturbance or fight; trouble (esp in the phrase a spot of bother)
interjection
- mainly British an exclamation of slight annoyance
Word Origin for bother C18: perhaps from Irish Gaelic bodhar deaf, vexed; compare Irish Gaelic buairim I vex both determiner
-
- the two; two considered togetherboth dogs were dirty
- (as pronoun)both are to blame
conjunction
- (coordinating) used preceding words, phrases, or clauses joined by and, used to emphasize that not just one, but also the other of the joined elements is includedboth Ellen and Keith enjoyed the play; both new and exciting
Word Origin for both C12: from Old Norse bāthir; related to Old High German bēde, Latin ambō, Greek amphō Word Origin and History for bother v.
1718, probably from Anglo-Irish pother, because its earliest use was by Irish writers Sheridan, Swift, Sterne. Perhaps from Irish bodhairim “I deafen.” Related: Bothered; bothering. As a noun from 1803.
both adj., pron.
there are several theories, all similar, and deriving the word from the tendency to say “both the.” One is that it is Old English begen (masc.) “both” (from Proto-Germanic *ba, from PIE *bho “both”) + -þ extended base. Another traces it to the Proto-Germanic formula represented in Old English by ba þa “both these,” from ba (feminine nominative and accusative of begen) + þa, nominative and accusative plural of se “that.” A third traces it to Old Norse baðir “both,” from *bai thaiz “both the,” from Proto-Germanic *thaiz, third person plural pronoun. Cf. similar formation in Old Frisian bethe, Dutch beide, Old High German beide, German beide, Gothic bajoþs.
Idioms and Phrases with bother both
In addition to the idioms beginning with both
also see: