Definitions

pester

[pes-ter] / ˈpɛs tər /

VERB

bother, harass

Synonyms

STRONGEST

annoy badger bedevil hassle hector hound irk nag tease torment

STRONG

beleaguer bug disturb dog fret harry importune insist nudge plague provoke remind ride tantalize worry

WEAK

be at drive crazy drive up the wall get at get in one's hair get on one's nerves get to mess with pick at work on

Antonyms

STRONGEST

delight make happy please

STRONG

aid appease assist calm comfort forget help pacify reassure soothe

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

There’s a store chain called Five Below that is designed to maximize pester power.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

"We started to pester and we were phoning, and we were going back and forward to the home," she said.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

And I never needed to pester him for stories.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

But as I tried to pester, cajole, and play to what I thought were his sympathies to convince him to speak with me, he quickly stopped being mad.

From Slate • May 31, 2024

“He’ll see me at supper, and then he’ll pester me all night!”

From Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles

Vocabulary lists containing pester

"Macbeth" Vocabulary from Act V

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Stargirl

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Crash

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