Crossword Dictionary

pester

pester, pesters, pestered, pestering - v 

to bother 

Wordplays

Synonyms

bother, bug, chivy (or chivvy), disturb, intrude (upon)

sentence examples

“Leave me alone! Stop pestering me!”

“one resident pestered the condo board about every little thing”

“Temper your urge to pester someone unwittingly and don't blast them with messages, emails and outreaches.”

“Woodward continued to pester Ms. Rosenfeld with phone calls.”

Merriam-Webster

etymology

pester (v.)

1520s, "to clog, entangle, encumber" (a sense now obsolete), probably a shortening of empester, impester, from French empestrer "place in an embarrassing situation" (Modern French empêtrer, Walloon epasturer), from Vulgar Latin *impastoriare "to hobble" (an animal), from Latin im- "in" + Medieval Latin pastoria (chorda) "(rope) to hobble an animal," from Latin pastoria, fem. of pastorius "of a herdsman," from pastor "herdsman".

Or directly from the French word. The sense of "annoy, disturb, trouble" (1560s) is from influence of pest.