Definitions for worry
ˈwɜr i, ˈwʌr iwor·ry

Princeton's WordNet(2.50 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. concern, worry, headache, vexationnoun

   something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness

   "New York traffic is a constant concern"; "it's a major worry"

2. worry, troubleverb

   a strong feeling of anxiety

   "his worry over the prospect of being fired"; "it is not work but worry that kills"; "he wanted to die and end his troubles"

3. worryverb

   be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy

   "I worry about my job"

4. worry, careverb

   be concerned with

   "I worry about my grades"

5. worry, vexverb

   disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress

   "I cannot sleep--my daughter's health is worrying me"

6. concern, interest, occupy, worryverb

   be on the mind of

   "I worry about the second Germanic consonant shift"

7. worryverb

   lacerate by biting

   "the dog worried his bone"

8. worryverb

   touch or rub constantly

   "The old man worried his beads"

Wiktionary(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. worrynoun

   A strong feeling of anxiety.

   I'm afflicted by worry throughout the night.

   Etymology: wyrġan. Cognate with German würgen ‘strangle’.

2. worrynoun

   An instance or cause of such a feeling.

   My main worry is that I'll miss the train.

   Etymology: wyrġan. Cognate with German würgen ‘strangle’.

3. worryverb

   To seize or shake by the throat, especially of a dog or wolf.

   Your dog's been worrying sheep again.

   Etymology: wyrġan. Cognate with German würgen ‘strangle’.

4. worryverb

   To harass; to irritate or distress.

   The President was worried into military action by persistent advisors.

   Etymology: wyrġan. Cognate with German würgen ‘strangle’.

5. worryverb

   Disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress.

   Your tone of voice worries me.

   Etymology: wyrġan. Cognate with German würgen ‘strangle’.

6. worryverb

   To be troubled, to give way to mental anxiety.

   Stop worrying about your test, it'll be fine.

   Etymology: wyrġan. Cognate with German würgen ‘strangle’.

7. worryverb

   To strangle.

   Etymology: wyrġan. Cognate with German würgen ‘strangle’.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Worryverb

   to harass by pursuit and barking; to attack repeatedly; also, to tear or mangle with the teeth

   Etymology: [OE. worowen, wirien, to strangle, AS. wyrgan in wyrgan; akin to D. worgen, wurgen, to strangle, OHG. wurgen, G. wrgen, Lith. verszti, and perhaps to E. wring.]

2. Worryverb

   to harass or beset with importunity, or with care an anxiety; to vex; to annoy; to torment; to tease; to fret; to trouble; to plague

   Etymology: [OE. worowen, wirien, to strangle, AS. wyrgan in wyrgan; akin to D. worgen, wurgen, to strangle, OHG. wurgen, G. wrgen, Lith. verszti, and perhaps to E. wring.]

3. Worryverb

   to harass with labor; to fatigue

   Etymology: [OE. worowen, wirien, to strangle, AS. wyrgan in wyrgan; akin to D. worgen, wurgen, to strangle, OHG. wurgen, G. wrgen, Lith. verszti, and perhaps to E. wring.]

4. Worryverb

   to feel or express undue care and anxiety; to manifest disquietude or pain; to be fretful; to chafe; as, the child worries; the horse worries

   Etymology: [OE. worowen, wirien, to strangle, AS. wyrgan in wyrgan; akin to D. worgen, wurgen, to strangle, OHG. wurgen, G. wrgen, Lith. verszti, and perhaps to E. wring.]

5. Worrynoun

   a state of undue solicitude; a state of disturbance from care and anxiety; vexation; anxiety; fret; as, to be in a worry

   Etymology: [OE. worowen, wirien, to strangle, AS. wyrgan in wyrgan; akin to D. worgen, wurgen, to strangle, OHG. wurgen, G. wrgen, Lith. verszti, and perhaps to E. wring.]

Freebase(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Worry

   Worry is thoughts, images and emotions of a negative nature in which mental attempts are made to avoid anticipated potential threats. As an emotion it is experienced as anxiety or concern about a real or imagined issue, usually personal issues such as health or finances or broader ones such as environmental pollution and social or technological change. Most people experience short-lived periods of worry in their lives without incident; indeed, a moderate amount of worrying may even have positive effects, if it prompts people to take precautions or avoid risky behaviours. Excessive worry is the main component of generalized anxiety disorder.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Worry

   wur′i, v.t. to tear with the teeth: to harass: to tease: (Scot.) to choke.—v.i. to trouble one's self: to be unduly anxious: to fret:—pa.t. and pa.p. worr′ied.—n. act of worrying: trouble, perplexity, vexation.—ns. Worr′ier, one who worries himself or others; Worr′iment (coll.), anxiety.—adj. Worr′isome, causing trouble.—v. Worr′it (slang), to worry.—n. (slang) annoyance.—adj. Worr′ying, harassing.—adv. Worr′yingly.—Worry down, to swallow with a strong effort. [A.S. wyrgan, found in compound áwyrgan, to harm; cf. Dut. worgen, Ger. würgen, to choke; A.S. wearg, werg, a wolf.]

The Roycroft Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. worry

   Ironic nurse to old bedridden Dame Care. _E. g._, "I should worry"--famous saying of the Infinite Nix at twelve o'clock Saturday night of the Sixth Day as he threw down his tools and sent the Earth about its business.

The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon Wurdz(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. WORRY

   A state of mind that leads some persons to fear, every time the tide goes out, that it won't come in again.

Suggested Resources(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. worry

   Quotes by worry -- Explore a large variety of famous quotes made by worry on the Quotes.net website.

Matched Categories

1. • Incise
   • Mind
   • Perturb
   • Rub

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'worry' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2652

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'worry' in Written Corpus Frequency: #856

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'worry' in Nouns Frequency: #1916

4. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'worry' in Verbs Frequency: #335

How to pronounce worry?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say worry in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of worry in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of worry in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of worry in a Sentence

1. Collegian Rudy Winkler:

   I'm not going to worry about it too much, i'd love to go the Olympics but I'm just starting. I'll be around awhile.

2. Bobby Tang:

   If the protests last until October, I worry if I can earn enough salary.

3. Donald Trump:

   Don't worry, I'll pay for everything.

4. Wesley D'Amico:

   Don't worry so much about others, panda bear eats bamboo like a heart of palm.

5. Dave Lancaster:

   I can fit in the seat of any car I like and on buses, trains and planes ; I do n’t have to worry about breaking benches or garden furniture anymore, i can buy clothes on the high street and put my own socks on easily ; I can walk miles and run up and down the stairs … the list is endless.

Popularity rank by frequency of use