tease

1. (transitive) To separate the fibres of (a fibrous material).transitive

2. (transitive) To comb (originally with teasels) so that the fibres all lie in one direction.transitive

3. (transitive) To backcomb.transitive

4. (transitive) To poke fun at, either cruelly or affectionately in a playful way.Examples: "The difference between teasing and taunting is like the difference between kissing and spitting. The ingredients are the same; it is the emotion that determines whether it is pleasing or repellent.... Proper teasing says, in effect, "I know all your little oddities and faults, but as they are part of what makes you special, I find them charming." Taunting, in contrast, makes only the harsh statement, "I have noticed what is wrong with you.""; "The beast in the past has done horrible stuff / And his victims were left quite displeased / No one knows what he's so angry about / Maybe once in third grade he was teased"Synonyms: razztransitive

5. (transitive) To provoke or disturb; to annoy.Examples: "Not by the force of carnal reason, / But indefatigable teasing."; "I am myself, the sweetest temper'd man alive, and hate a teasing temper; and so I tell her a hundred Times a day—"; "He[…]suffered them to tease him into acts directly opposed to his strongest inclinations."Synonyms: ridetransitive

6. (transitive) To manipulate or influence the behavior of, especially by repeated acts of irritation.Examples: "A young woman, if she fall into bad hands, may be teazed, and kept at a distance from those she wants to be with; but one cannot comprehend a young man’s being under such restraint, as not to be able to spend a week with his father, if he likes it."transitive