bother
verb/ˈbɒðə(r)/
/ˈbɑːðər/
Verb Forms
Idioms | present simple I / you / we / they bother | /ˈbɒðə(r)/ /ˈbɑːðər/ |
| he / she / it bothers | /ˈbɒðəz/ /ˈbɑːðərz/ |
| past simple bothered | /ˈbɒðəd/ /ˈbɑːðərd/ |
| past participle bothered | /ˈbɒðəd/ /ˈbɑːðərd/ |
| -ing form bothering | /ˈbɒðərɪŋ/ /ˈbɑːðərɪŋ/ |
- [intransitive, transitive] (often used in negative sentences and questions) to spend time and/or energy doing something
- ‘Shall I wait?’ ‘No, don't bother’.
- I don't know why I bother! Nobody ever listens!
- If that’s all the thanks I get, I won’t bother in future!
- bother with/about something It's not worth bothering with (= using) an umbrella—the car's just outside.
- I don't know why you bother with that crowd (= why you spend time with them).
- He doesn’t bother much about his appearance.
- bother to do something He didn't even bother to let me know he was coming.
- He hadn't even bothered to read the crucial documents.
- Doctors never bothered to check his blood pressure.
- bother doing something Why bother asking if you're not really interested?
- I didn't bother trying to explain my feelings.
Definitions on the go
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- [transitive] to annoy, worry or upset somebody; to cause somebody trouble or pain
- bother somebody The thing that bothers me is…
- That sprained ankle is still bothering her (= hurting).
- She has been bothered by a leg injury.
- ‘I'm sorry he was so rude to you.’ ‘It doesn't bother me.’
- bother somebody with something I don't want to bother her with my problems at the moment.
- bother somebody that… Does it bother you that she earns more than you?
- it bothers somebody to do something It bothers me to think of her alone in that big house.
- [transitive] to interrupt somebody; to talk to somebody when they do not want to talk to you
- bother somebody Stop bothering me when I'm working.
- Let me know if he bothers you again.
- Sorry to bother you, but there's a call for you on line two.
- Please stop bothering me with all these questions!
Word Originlate 17th cent. (as a noun in the dialect sense ‘noise, chatter’): of Anglo-Irish origin; probably related to Irish bodhaire ‘noise’, bodhraim ‘deafen, annoy’. The verb (originally dialect) meant ‘confuse with noise’ in the early 18th cent.
Idioms
See bother in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionarybe bothered (about somebody/something)
- (especially British English, informal) to think that somebody/something is important
- I'm not bothered about what he thinks.
- ‘Where shall we eat?’ ‘I'm not bothered.’ (= I don't mind where we go.)
can’t be bothered (to do something)
- used to say that you do not want to spend time and/or energy doing something
- I should really do some work this weekend but I can't be bothered.
- All this has happened because you couldn't be bothered to give me the message.
(all) hot and bothered
- (informal) in a state of worry or stress because you are under too much pressure, have a problem, are trying to hurry, etc.
not bother yourself/your head with/about something
- (especially British English) to not spend time/effort on something, because it is not important or you are not interested in it
Check pronunciation:
bother