hassle 1 of 2

noun

ˈha-səl How to pronounce hassle (audio)
Definition of hasslenext
1
as in encounter
a brief clash between enemies or rivals the best way to avoid hassles with those aggressive panhandlers is to ignore them

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2
as in clash
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups the moment the police arrived, the hassle broke up, and no one was seriously injured

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dispute
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions had a huge hassle with an airline representative before she got her ticket refunded

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4
as in headache
something that is a source of irritation it's a hassle to find a parking space downtown

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hassle

2 of 2

verb

1
as in to taunt
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults a small group of jeering protesters hassled the politically active singer at every appearance she made

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2
as in to bicker
to express different opinions about something often angrily constantly hassled with the chef over the need to cook pork thoroughly

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hassle
Noun
With Fox Sports’ partnership with the Big Ten, his presence ended up not being worth the hassle. — Andrew Marchand, New York Times, 3 Oct. 2026 DeStefano kicked into a quasi-rock groove on acoustic guitar, and the guys launched into a chorus about shaking off uncontrollable hassles and restoring positivity. — Tom Roland, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
Others, who either forget or are unwilling to hassle the move, incur a $65 ticket and often a tow, creating a time-consuming obstacle for broom operators. — Norman Steisel, New York Daily News, 29 June 2026 To be alone, after all, may be worse than being hassled. — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 15 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for hassle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hassle
  1. encounter
  2. clash
  3. dispute
  4. headache
  5. taunt
  6. bicker
  7. skirmish
  8. controversy
Noun
  • There are encounters, opportunities, things that inspire you.
    — Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 16 Oct. 2026
  • It’s affected by Planet 1’s gravity during the encounter as well.
    — Phil Plait, Scientific American, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of encounter
Noun
  • By Saturday, demonstrations over rising living costs, school conditions and declining public services had escalated into clashes with police, fires, looting and attacks on public buildings in several cities.
    — Bradford Betz, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026
  • The decades-old rivalry has favored United in the last seven meetings at Elland Road, but Leeds head into Sunday's clash in strong form, with two wins and three draws placing them 7th on the table.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of clash
Noun
  • Around the same time, Congress established the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, an administrative body that adjudicates patent disputes.
    — Andrei Iancu, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • There was also a physical dispute between Parillo and Amy Helm after her removal, during which police were called to LHS in Woodstock.
    — Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of dispute
Noun
  • The biggest headache for Thune was the Save America Act, a voter ID bill that lacked a strategy to become law in the Senate.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In Meta’s case, creepy video-recording incidents and privacy-light tampering have caused severe headaches for the company.
    — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of headache
Verb
  • The woman, who also reported it to the league, alleged that Jackson refused to delete the video and taunted her with it.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Last week, Greenlaw was fined $11,941 for unsportsmanlike conduct after taunting the Broncos' sideline and head coach Sean Payton.
    — Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of taunt
Verb
  • The two of them together, just 17 months apart, shared playlists, bickered over where to stop during Apple CarPlay calls, pulled up beside me and faded away with silly faces, encapsulating 20 years of my life in my rearview mirror.
    — Robert Duffer, AJC.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Like law enforcement agents everywhere, they’re disposed to bickering about jurisdiction or pumping each other for off-limits information.
    — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of bicker
Noun
  • This leads to even more behind-the-scenes skirmishes laced with character-centric comedy, as opposing factions align.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Ties between the two countries remain strained over their long-running Himalayan border dispute, which erupted into a deadly skirmishes in 2020 that saw soldiers from both sides use rocks and iron rods in brutal hand-to-hand combat.
    — Helen Regan, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of skirmish
Noun
  • The new concealer was originally launched as the Wide Awake Brightening Concealer alongside the Wide Awake Brightening Neutralizer, but ran into controversy just days after launch.
    — Maggie Ryan, Flow Space, 16 Oct. 2026
  • CoreWeave’s vast debt pile has been the subject of controversy in the past.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of controversy

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Cite this Entry

“Hassle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hassle. Accessed 22 Oct. 2026.

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