harry
verb
transitive verb
R. A. Sokolov
Did you know?
Was there once a warlike man named Harry who is the source for the English verb the name mirrors? One particularly belligerent Harry does come to mind: William Shakespeare once described how "famine, sword, and fire" accompanied "the warlike Harry," England's King Henry the Fifth. But neither this king nor any of his namesakes are the source for the verb harry. Rather, harry (or a word resembling it) has been a part of English for as long as there has been anything that could be called English. It took the form hergian in Old English and harien in Middle English, passing through numerous variations before finally settling into its modern spelling. The word's Old English ancestors are related to Old High German words heriōn ("to devastate or plunder") and heri ("host, army").
Example Sentences
Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2022 The fighters had divided into teams to target strategic points within the prison, while others were sent to harry a nearby battalion of Kurdish fighters and block off routes to the complex. NBC News, 24 Jan. 2022 Indiana pounded the paint early, bossed Michigan State on the boards and harried every screen. Zach Osterman, Indianapolis Star, 24 Jan. 2020 Rebel groups had continued to harry government forces, however, from outside the city with mortar rounds. Sarah El Deeb, BostonGlobe.com, 16 Feb. 2020 Before that pass, the 49ers harried Mahomes as few teams have. Kevin Draper, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2020 Each Villa player never gave their opponents a seconds rest, constantly harrying and chasing down. SI.com, 2 Nov. 2019 During the Cultural Revolution of 1966-76, when sacred sites were razed by Maoist zealots and countless priests and monks were harried to death, the temple became a primary school. The Economist, 19 Sep. 2019 The second-movement Larghetto was appropriately restrained, but the finale was harried, even frantic.Exposed high writing for violins in the outer movements wasn’t always tidy. Scott Cantrell, Dallas News, 17 Jan. 2020 See More Word History
Middle English hærȝen, herien, harien, herwen, harwen "to plunder, ravage, torment, pursue, drag," going back to Old English hergian, herian, heregian, hergon "to make predatory raids, ravage, wage war," going back to Germanic *harjōjan- (whence also Old Saxon herion "to plunder," Middle Dutch heren, hergen "to destroy with an army, ravage," Old High German heriōn, herrōn "to devastate, plunder," Old Norse herja "to despoil, lay waste"), verbal derivative of *harja- "body of armed men" (whence Old English here "body of armed men, army," Old Frisian here [in compounds], Old Saxon heri "army, crowd," Old High German heri, hari, Old Norse herr "host, army," Gothic harjis), going back to Indo-European *kori̯o- (whence also Middle Irish cuire "troop, host, company," Middle Welsh cord, cordd "tribe, clan, multitude, troop," Lithuanian kãrias "war, army"), derivative of appurtenance from *kor- "war," whence Lithuanian kãras "war," Old Persian kāra- "army, people" (with lengthened grade?); also, with suffix -no-, Greek koíranos "commander, ruler" (< *koironos < *kori̯o-no-s)
Note: Old English forms such as her(e)gian, 3rd singular present hergaþ, show variants with reversion of palatal g (= [j]) to velar g (= [ɣ]) before a back vowel, though in this case there was no original g, and the reversion is analogical. The two competing sets of forms were passed on to Middle English. The variants with either -i- or -w- gave rise to two more or less distinct words in modern English, harry and harrow entry 1. For other words containing Old English here "body of armed men" or Germanic *harja- see arrière-ban, harbinger entry 1, harbor entry 1, harness entry 1, herald entry 1, heriot.
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
harry
verb
harry
verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- sack
- plunder
- loot
- ruin
- strip
- wipe out
- destroy
- foray
- scourge
- pillage
- wreck
- ravage
- despoil
- smash
- eradicate
- obliterate
- maraud
- waste
- desolate
- annihilate
- vaporize
- mow
- wrack
- nuke
- extirpate
- rub out
- devastate
- total
- extinguish
- expunge
- shatter
- overthrow
- decimate
- crush
- demolish
- raze
- overwhelm
- overrun
- overpower
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- recover
- redeem
- restore
- fix
- rehabilitate
- patch
- repair
- mend
- recondition
- revamp
Synonyms & Similar Words
- harass
- scold
- savage
- attack
- vituperate
- revile
- scathe
- berate
- abuse
- harangue
- insult
- imprecate
- bash
- excoriate
- trash
- assail
- curse
- execrate
- potshot
- blast
- affront
- whip
- blaspheme
- castigate
- slur
- profane
- lambaste
- slam
- jump (on)
- criticize
- blackguard
- slander
- libel
- disparage
- lambast
- asperse
- vilify
- put down
- traduce
- chastise
- belabor
- rebuke
- belittle
- chide
- reprimand
- fulminate
- bad-mouth
- lash (out)
- lace (into)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- hail
- compliment
- praise
- commend
- laud
- acclaim
Synonym Chooser
Some common synonyms of harry are annoy, harass, pester, plague, tease, and worry. While all these words mean "to disturb or irritate by persistent acts," harry may imply heavy oppression or maltreatment.
The words annoy and harry are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, annoy implies disturbing one's composure or peace of mind by intrusion, interference, or petty attacks.
While the synonyms harass and harry are close in meaning, harass implies petty persecutions or burdensome demands that exhaust one's nervous or mental power.
The words pester and harry can be used in similar contexts, but pester stresses the repetition of petty attacks.
The synonyms plague and harry are sometimes interchangeable, but plague implies a painful and persistent affliction.
While in some cases nearly identical to harry, tease suggests an attempt to break down one's resistance or rouse to wrath.
The meanings of worry and harry largely overlap; however, worry implies an incessant goading or attacking that drives one to desperation.