bother
pronunciation
How to pronounce bother in British English:
UK [ˈbɒðə(r)]
How to pronounce bother in American English:
US [ˈbɑːðər]
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- Noun:
- an angry disturbance
- something or someone that causes trouble; a source of unhappiness
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- Verb:
- take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
- cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
- to cause inconvenience or discomfort to
- intrude or enter uninvited
- make nervous or agitated
- make confused or perplexed or puzzled
Word Origin
- bother
- bother: [18] When the word bother first turns up in English in the first half of the 18th century, it is largely in the writings of Irishmen, such as Thomas Sheridan and Jonathan Swift. This has naturally led to speculation that the word may be of Irish origin, but no thoroughly convincing candidate has been found. The superficially similar Irish Gaelic bodhar ‘deaf, afflicted’ is more alike in spelling than pronunciation. Another suggestion is that it may represent an Irish way of saying pother [16], an archaic word for ‘commotion’ which is itself of unknown origin.
- bother (v.)
- 1718, probably from Anglo-Irish pother, because its earliest use was by Irish writers Sheridan, Swift, Sterne. Perhaps from Irish bodhairim "I deafen." Related: Bothered; bothering. As a noun from 1803.
Example
- 1. I 've caused much bother by lossing my ticket .
- 2. But apparently very few investors bother to check .
- 3. I tell them not to bother .
- 4. Since illusions are often easier to produce , why bother with the truth ?
- 5. So she told her husband 's assistant not to bother him with phone calls about his work .