pester
Americanverb
-
(tr) to annoy or nag continually
Other Word Forms
- pesterer noun
- pesteringly adverb
- pestersome adjective
- unpestered adjective
Etymology
Origin of pester
1530–40; perhaps aphetic variant of empester, impester to tangle, encumber (though pester is found earlier than these 2 words) < Middle French empestrer to hobble, entangle < Vulgar Latin *impāstōriāre to hobble, equivalent to im- im- 1 + pāstōri ( a ) a hobble, noun use of Latin pāstōrius of a herdsman or shepherd + -āre infinitive suffix ( pastor ); aphetic form apparently reinforced by pest ( -er 6 )
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.
Ham-handed police officers pester Janey for details: Why did she touch Samantha’s dress?
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026
It’s also inadequately resourced, thanks to a management that refuses to pay nurses a decent wage and, instead, sends its top representative to pester Robby about raising satisfaction scores.
From Salon • Jun. 23, 2025
It was to ensure he was comfortable with the task required to impress NFL teams that poke, prod and pester players during the evaluation process.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 26, 2025
But eventually a friend encouraged her to "pester" her GP for a scan.
From BBC • Dec. 8, 2024
On May 7, Singleton called AT&T’s legal department, another pester.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.