<p><strong>Verb</strong></p><ul><li>To irritate or provoke with persistent petty distractions, trifling jests, or other annoyances, often in a playful way: If your little sister is teasing you about your boyfriend and following you around making kissy faces, it’s because she’s jealous and wants your attention.</li><li>To bully, harass, or torment: I was teased about my lisp when I was younger.</li><li>To purposely excite or sexually arouse (someone) without subsequent gratification: Don’t tease me with vacation ideas you know we can’t afford!</li><li>To pull apart or separate the adhering fibers of (wool or the like), as in combing or carding; comb or card, as wool; shred.</li><li>To ruffle (the hair) by holding it at the ends and combing toward the scalp so as to give body to a hairdo.</li><li>To raise a nap on (cloth) with teasels; teasel.</li><li>To introduce (a new product) without revealing details about it, conveying only that the product exists and will be available at a future date: Both developers teased next generation game consoles at the expo, but neither released specs.</li></ul><p><strong>Noun</strong></p><ul><li>A person who teases or annoys.</li><li>A person who purposely excites or sexually arouses another, but then withholds gratification: All I did was set some sexual boundaries, but now he’s spreading rumors that I’m a tease.</li><li>The act of teasing or the state of being teased.</li><li>Television: teaser.</li></ul><p><strong>Verb Phrase</strong></p><ul><li>To discover, understand, or disentangle (complex, interconnected, or hidden information): Only recently have scientists teased out a causal link between sleep loss and mood disorders, like anxiety.</li></ul>