harry

present singular third person harries · participle present harrying · participle past harried · past harried

1. transitiveTo plunder, pillage, assault.

   I repent me much , That so I harry'd him

   c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, (please specify the act number in uppercase Roman numerals, and the scene number in lowercase Roman numerals)

   Synonyms: maraud, raid, sack

2. transitiveTo make repeated attacks on an enemy.

   1 more example

   'One kiss, my bonny sweetheart, I'm after a prize to-night, / But I shall be back with the yellow gold before the morning light; / Yet, if they press me sharply, and harry me through the day, / Then look for me by moonlight, / Watch for me by moonlight, / I'll come to thee by moonlight, though Hell should bar the way.'

   1906 August, Alfred Noyes, “The Highwayman”, in Poems, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., published October 1906, →OCLC, part 1, stanza V, page 47

   Synonyms: harass

3. transitiveTo strip, lay waste, ravage.

   to harry this beautiful region

   1855–1859, Washington Irving, The Life of George Washington

   1 more example

   A red squirrel had harried the nest of a wood thrush.

   1896, John Burroughs, Birds and bees and other studies in nature

   Synonyms: devastate, obliterate, destroy, annihilate, aerosolize, atomize, benothing, bewreck

4. transitiveTo harass, bother or distress with demands, threats, or criticism.

   Chelsea also struggled to keep possession as QPR harried and chased at every opportunity, giving their opponents no time on the ball.

   2011 October 23, Becky Ashton, “QPR 1 – 0 Chelsea”, in BBC Sport

   1 more example

   The Colombians' ire was raised even more 10 minutes later when the referee showed a yellow card to [James] Rodríguez – who was apoplectic at the decision – for an innocuous trip that was, as Rodríguez vociferously pointed out with multiple hand gestures, a first offense compared with Fernandinho's harrying.

   2014 July 5, Sam Borden, “For bellicose Brazil, payback carries heavy price: Loss of Neymar [International New York Times version: Brazil and referee share some blame for Neymar's injury: Spaniard's failure to curb early pattern of fouls is seen as major factor (7 July 2014, p. 13)]”, in The New York Times

   Synonyms: harrow, torment, afflict, lacerate, aggrieve, plague, atray, cag

plural harries

1. IndiaobsoletetransitiveA menial servant; a sweeper.

plural Harrys · plural Harries

1. A male given name.

   Yet weep that Harry's dead, and so will I; / But Harry lives that shall convert those tears / By number into hours of happiness.

   c. 1596–1599 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Second Part of Henry the Fourth, […]. Epilogue.”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene v]

   3 more examples

   Henry now, what a soft swain your Henry is! the proper theme of gentle poesy; a name to fall in love withal; devoted at the font to song and sonnet, and the tender passion; a baptized inamorato; a christened hero. Call him Harry, and see how you ameliorate his condition. The man is free again, turned out of song and sonnet and romance, and young ladies' hearts. Shakspeare understood this well, when he wrote of prince Hal and Harry Hotspur. To have called them Henry would have spoiled both characters.

   1830, Mary Russell Mitford, Our Village: Fourth Series: Cottage Names

   'I suppose you think I should call him Harry,' says Ruth. 'Harry? No. Ever since Harry bloody Potter that's been a nightmare.[…]

   2010, Elly Griffiths, “The Janus Stone”, in Ruth Galloway: The Early Cases: A Dr Ruth Galloway Mysteries Collection, Hachette UK, →ISBN

   The digital ads open over a shot of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer, the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate, while a narrator declares: “For years, it paralyzed Washington: Partisan political dysfunction.”

   2015 May 12, Alexandra Jaffe, “First on CNN: New Rove-linked group spends $2M to boost GOP incumbents”, in CNN

   1. A male given name from the Germanic languages.
   2. A male given name from French, originating as an Anglicization of Henri
   3. A diminutive of the male given name Henry, Harold.
2. rare compared to given nameA surname originating as a patronymic.
3. rare nicknameA diminutive of the female given name Harriet.

1. slanguncountableThe drug heroin.