verb
worry
WUH-ree
verb
1
To feel anxious or uneasy about something.
"Don't worry — the flight isn't until tomorrow."
"She worried about the exam for weeks beforehand."
2
To cause someone anxiety or distress.
"It worries me that he still hasn't called back."
3
(of a dog) To bite and shake something repeatedly.
"The terrier worried the old slipper until it tore apart."
noun
1
A feeling of anxiety, or something that causes it.
"Money is his biggest worry right now."
"It's just a small worry, nothing serious."
How to Use Worry
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo feel or cause anxious unease about something.
Common mistake
"Worry" as a verb usually takes "about": worry about something, not worry for something (except in the fixed phrase "not to worry").
Common pairings
worry about
don't worry
a nagging worry
Word Forms
worried past tense, worries plural, worries singular
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Don't _____ — the flight isn't until tomorrow.
Etymology
From Old English wyrgan, meaning "to strangle" — the sense softened over centuries from physical choking to mental "strangling" anxiety.