bother

English

Etymology

Scots bauther, bather (“to bother”). Origin unknown. Perhaps related to Scots pother (“to make a stir or commotion, bustle”), also of unknown origin. Compare English pother (“to poke, prod”), variant of potter (“to poke”). More at potter. Perhaps related to Irish bodhaire (“noise”), Irish bodhraim (“to deafen, annoy”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: bŏʹ-thər, (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) IPA^(key): /ˈbɒðəɹ/
• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) IPA^(key): [ˈbɔðə(ɹ)]
• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) IPA^(key): [ˈbɒðə(ɹ)]
  • (deprecated use of |lang= parameter)

    Audio (UK):

    (file)

  • (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) Rhymes: -ɒðə(r)
• (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) IPA^(key): [ˈbɑðɚ]

Verb

bother (third-person singular simple present bothers, present participle bothering, simple past and past participle bothered)

1. (transitive) To annoy, to disturb, to irritate.

   Would it bother you if I smoked?

2. (intransitive) To feel care or anxiety; to make or take trouble; to be troublesome.

   Why do I even bother to try?

   • Henry James

     without bothering about it

3. (intransitive) To do something which is of negligible inconvenience.

   You didn't even bother to close the door.

Synonyms

• (annoy, disturb): annoy, disturb, irritate, put out, vex
• See also Wikisaurus:annoy

Usage notes

• This is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive or the gerund (-ing). See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Translations

to annoy, disturb

• Albanian: shqetësoj (sq)
• Arabic: يزعج
• Armenian: խանգարել (hy) (xangarel)
• Bulgarian: безпокоя (bg) (bezpokoja), дразня (bg) (draznja), досаждам (bg) (dosaždam)
• Catalan: molestar (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 煩擾／烦扰 (zh) (fánrǎo), 烦扰 (zh) (fánrǎo)

• Czech: vadit (cs)
• Dutch: storen (nl)
• Esperanto: malordigi, ĝeni (eo), perturbi
• Estonian: tüütama, tülitama
• Finnish: häiritä (fi), vaivata (fi)
• French: embêter (fr), gêner (fr), déranger (fr)
• Galician: amolar (gl), aburar (gl), mornear (gl), gravecer
• Georgian: გაღიზიანება (gaɣizianeba)
• German: belästigen (de)
• Greek: ενοχλώ (el) (enochló)
• Haitian Creole: deranje
• Hebrew: הפריע
• Hungarian: zavar (hu), zaklat (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: ergja, angra
• Italian: disturbare (it), infastidire (it)
• Japanese: please add this translation if you can
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• Latvian: traucēt
• Maori: whakapōnānā
• Norwegian: forstyrre (no), plage (no), bry (no), irritere (no)
• Polish: niepokoić (pl), naprzykrzać się
• Portuguese: incomodar (pt)
• Romanian: deranja (ro), incomoda (ro), necăji (ro), supăra (ro)
• Russian: беспоко́ить (ru) (bespokóitʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: sàraich, buair, cuir dragh air
• Slovene: nadlegováti
• Spanish: molestar (es), agobiar (es)
• Swedish: störa (sv)
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: rahatsız etmek (tr), canını sıkmak (tr)
• Uzbek: bezovta qilmoq
• Venetian: dar fastidio, ronper
• Vietnamese: please add this translation if you can

make or take trouble

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 費事／费事 (zh) (fèishì), 费事 (zh) (fèishì)

• Dutch: moeite doen
• Estonian: vaevuma (et), vaeva nägema
• French: bâdrer (fr)
• Hebrew: טרח (he), הטריח את עצמו
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: veszi a fáradságot
• Italian: disturbarsi (it), prendersi la briga, preoccuparsi (it)
• Maori: whakatōwenewene
• Norwegian: gidde (no)
• Portuguese: dar-se ao trabalho
• Venetian: preocuparse

to do something which is of negligible inconvenience

• Estonian: vaevuma (et)
• French: daigner (fr)
• Hebrew: טרח (he)
• Hungarian: veszi a fáradságot
• Italian: preoccuparsi (it), disturbarsi (it), prendersi la briga, degnarsi
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Norwegian: gidde (no)
• Portuguese: dar-se ao trabalho
• Russian: утруждать себя (utruždatʹ sebja)
• Swedish: bry sig om (sv), idas (sv)

Noun

bother (countable and uncountable, plural bothers)

1. Fuss, ado.

   There was a bit of bother at the hairdresser's when they couldn't find my appointment in the book.
2. Trouble, inconvenience.

   Yes, I can do that for you - it's no bother.

Translations

fuss, ado

• Albanian: shqetësim (sq) m
• Bashkir: мәшәҡәт (məşəqət)
• Bulgarian: грижи (bg) pl (griži), безпокойство (bg) (bezpokojstvo)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 鬧騰／闹腾 (zh) (nàoteng), 闹腾 (zh) (nàoténg)

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: vesen (is) n
• Italian: confusione (it) f, trambusto (it) m, agitazione (it) f
• Norwegian: kluss, bry (no)
• Romanian: agitație (ro) f, îngrijorare (ro) f
• Spanish: cansón (es) n

trouble, inconvenience

• Albanian: shqetësim (sq)
• Bashkir: мәшәҡәт (məşəqət)
• Bulgarian: неприятности (bg) pl (neprijatnosti)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 麻煩／麻烦 (zh) (máfan), 麻烦 (zh) (máfán)

• Dutch: moeite (nl)
• Estonian: tülin, nuhtlus
• Finnish: vaiva (fi), häiriö (fi)
• Hebrew: טרחה f (t'irkha)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: vesen (is) n, mál (is) n, vandamál (is) n
• Italian: fastidio (it) m, incomodo (it) m, seccatura (it) f, problema (it) m
• Japanese: 邪魔 (ja) (jama)
• Polish: kłopot (pl) m
• Portuguese: incômodo (pt) m
• Romanian: deranj (ro) n, incomodare (ro) f
• Santali: ᱚᱡᱚᱨ (ôjôr)
• Swedish: besvär (sv) n

Interjection

bother!

1. A mild expression of annoyance.
   • 1926, A A Milne, Winnie the Pooh, Methuen & Co., Ltd., Chapter 2 ...in which Pooh goes visiting and gets into a tight place:

     "Oh, help!" said Pooh. "I'd better go back."

     "Oh, bother!" said Pooh. "I shall have to go on."

     "I can't do either!" said Pooh. "Oh, help and bother!"

Synonyms

• blast, dang (US), darn

Translations

mild expression of annoyance

• Arabic: يزعج, يضايق [translit?]
• French: zut (fr)!
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Portuguese: porcaria! (pt), droga! (pt)

Related terms

• be bothered
• bothered
• bothersome

Anagrams

• boreth