Definitions for worry
ˈwɜr i, ˈwʌr iwor·ry

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

1. concern, worry, headache, vexation(noun)

   something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness

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

2. worry, trouble(verb)

   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. worry(verb)

   be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy

   "I worry about my job"

4. worry, care(verb)

   be concerned with

   "I worry about my grades"

5. worry, vex(verb)

   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, worry(verb)

   be on the mind of

   "I worry about the second Germanic consonant shift"

7. worry(verb)

   lacerate by biting

   "the dog worried his bone"

8. worry(verb)

   touch or rub constantly

   "The old man worried his beads"

Wiktionary(2.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. worry(Noun)

   A strong feeling of anxiety.

   I'm afflicted by worry throughout the night.

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

2. worry(Noun)

   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. worry(Verb)

   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. worry(Verb)

   To harass; to irritate or distress.

   The President was worried into military action by persistent advisors.

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

5. worry(Verb)

   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. worry(Verb)

   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. worry(Verb)

   To strangle.

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

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

1. Worry(verb)

   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. Worry(verb)

   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. Worry(verb)

   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. Worry(verb)

   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. Worry(noun)

   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.

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

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

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. Kerri Murray:

   Her advice to stay positive, not worry about things that can’t be changed, and give back to help people who need it is a powerful reminder and sure seems to work.

2. Barack Obama:

   One of the things I do worry about sometimes among progressives in the United States is a certain kind of rigidity where we say, Uh, Im sorry, this is how its going to be, and then we start sometimes creating whats called a circular firing squad, where you start shooting at your allies because one of them has strayed from purity on the issues.

3. Donald Trump:

   My only worry about South Carolina is that my opponents lie, especially Cruz. He’s the single biggest liar I’ve ever seen.

4. Bill Clinton:

   I believe that so much of the anger, the insecurity, the fear and worry that people feel now about the economy, about our prospects, about what is going to happen to young people coming out of college with debt, or unable to find a job that really gives them the best possibly opportunities is related to the choices that were made starting in the Bush administration, when I think about what young people today have gone through, what they have known from our country, starting with a horrible attack on 9/11, going into the great recession, there is no wonder that they along with so many of us are saying, wait a minute, we are better than this, we can do more.

5. Tom Murphy:

   Corporate spreads have overreacted, the Fed will remain an overhang, but as far as the supply worry, the market has got to score high marks for its ability to absorb the amount it has over the past few days.

Images & Illustrations of worry

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