hassle

plural hassles

1. countableuncountableTrouble, bother, unwanted annoyances or problems.

   I went through a lot of hassle to be the first to get a ticket.

2. countableuncountableA fight or argument.
3. countableuncountableAn action which is not worth the difficulty involved.

present singular third person hassles · participle present hassling · participle past hassled · past hassled

1. transitiveTo trouble, to bother, to annoy.

   The unlucky boy was hassled by a gang of troublemakers on his way home.

   1 more example

   "Oh uncool bush! Unloose this passle Of furry cats that you hassle!"

   1969, Beard & Kennedy, Bored of the Rings, page 42

   Synonyms: disturb, irritate, molest, aggravate, annoy, nettle, rankle, ruffle

2. transitiveTo pick a fight or start an argument with.

   Synonyms: look for trouble, pick a quarrel

3. transitiveTo work through something troublesome; to be bothered by.

   If you don't want to hassle through converting formats, you'll have to stick with one program.

   Synonyms: grind

4. slangaeronauticsTo engage in a mock dogfight.

   If you were caught 'hassling,' as we called dogfighting, your career could end. The edict against dogfighting divided our squadron into three factions.

   2019, Dan Pedersen, Topgun

   1 more example

   Likewise, “hassling”—mock dogfighting—was strictly forbidden, and so naturally young fighter jocks could hardly wait to go up in, say, a pair of F–100s and start the duel by making a pass at each other at 800 miles an hour, […]

   2018, Tom Wolfe, The Right Stuff

comparative more hassle · superlative most hassle

1. Philippineshassling; hasslesome