Worry Meaning
/ˈwʌ.ɹi/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
verbTo be troubled; to give way to mental anxiety or doubt.
verbDisturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress; to exercise.
Sentence Examples
Don't worry, be happy!
You don't need to worry about such a thing.
The threat of losing their jobs is a constant source of worry to them.
CEFR Practice Quiz
Parents often ____ about their children's safety when they go to school.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Please don't ____ about the small problem, as I am sure that we can find a way to fix it quickly today.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English worien, werien, wirien, wirwen, wyryȝen (“to choke, strangle”), from Old English wyrġan, from Proto-Germanic *wurgijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *werǵʰ- (“bind, squeeze”). Cognate with Dutch worgen, wurgen, German würgen. Compare Latin urgere (“to press, push”), Sanskrit वृहति (vṛhati, “to tear out, pluck”), Lithuanian ver̃žti (“to string; squeeze”), Russian (poetic) отверза́ть (otverzátʹ, “to open”, literally “to untie”). Related to wring.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"So you go along for a long time / And nothing seems to worry your mind / But what it adds up to / It's the side effect / That finally gets to you"
— 1983, Ashford & Simpson, “Side Effect”, in High-Rise (album):
"That worries the government, which fears that environmental activism could become the foundation for more general political opposition."
— 2013 August 10, “Can China clean up fast enough?”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
"This is the Dog, that worried the Cat, that killed the Rat, that ate the Malt, that lay in the Houſe that Jack built."
— 1784, The House that Jack Built, page 7:
"Christian paced the caravan, worrying his beard."
— 1957, Sydney J. Bounds, The Robot Brains, London: Digit Books, page 58:
"So what if I wanted to touch my nose to the windshield? Who was it hurting? Why was it that he could repeatedly worry his change and bite his lower lip without the threat of punishment?"
— 1997, David Sedaris, “A Plague of Tics”, in Naked, page 15:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
Parents often ____ about their children's safety when they go to school.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Please don't ____ about the small problem, as I am sure that we can find a way to fix it quickly today.