rankle
verb/ˈræŋkl/
/ˈræŋkl/
[intransitive, transitive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they rankle | /ˈræŋkl/ /ˈræŋkl/ |
| he / she / it rankles | /ˈræŋklz/ /ˈræŋklz/ |
| past simple rankled | /ˈræŋkld/ /ˈræŋkld/ |
| past participle rankled | /ˈræŋkld/ /ˈræŋkld/ |
| -ing form rankling | /ˈræŋklɪŋ/ /ˈræŋklɪŋ/ |
- if something such as an event or a remark rankles, it makes you feel angry or upset for a long time
- rankle (somebody) Her comments still rankled.
- rankle with somebody His decision to sell the land still rankled with her.
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French rancler, from rancle, draoncle ‘festering sore’, from an alteration of medieval Latin dracunculus, diminutive of draco ‘serpent’.Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
Check pronunciation:
rankle