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tease

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tease someone about someone or something

to make fun of someone about someone or something; to poke fun at someone about someone or something. The boys teased Don about his girlfriend. Stop teasing me about it!

See also: tease

tease someone into doing something

to force someone to do something through teasing or tormenting. Sam teased her into doing what he wanted. Perhaps you can tease him into leaving, but he won't go if you ask him.

See also: tease

tease something out

Fig. to separate threads or hairs by combing. The hairdresser teased Jill's hair out carefully. The hairdresser teased out Jill's hair.

See also: out, tease

tease something out of something

 and tease something out

to lure something out of something by teasing or tempting. I managed to tease the cat out of the tree with a bit offish. I teased out the cat.

See also: of, out, tease

tease out something

also tease something out

to carefully separate particular facts from a great deal of information What has always been interesting for me is how you can tease out the reasons for an event as you review its history. After a while, you learn how to tease out the errors hidden in texts.

Related vocabulary: puzzle over something

See also: out, tease

tease out

Lure out, obtain or extract with effort, as in We had a hard time teasing the wedding date out of him. This term alludes to the literal sense of tease, "untangle or release something with a pointed tool." [Mid-1900s]

See also: out, tease

tease out

v.

To remove or obtain something by or as if by untangling or releasing with a pointed tool or device: I teased the knot out with a pair of tweezers. The interviewer teased the truth out of the politician.

See also: out, tease