bother

The word "bother" means to cause trouble or be a problem. It’s usually a verb. This is a good word to use when the problem is small:

• I’m sorry, am I bothering you?
• Let me ask this one question and then I’ll stop bothering you.
• There’s a fly in here. It’s bothering us.
• Perfume and cologne bother some people who have allergies.
• Tom says his stomach is bothering him. (He has a pain or a physical problem in his stomach.)
• I told the doctor my back has been bothering me lately.
• The bright sunlight was bothering Rita, so she put on a pair of sunglasses.
• The noise from the classroom next door bothered the students as they took their test.
• Shirley is bothered by people who smoke around her.
• Don’t bother me. I’m trying to take a nap.
• Certain odors bother me.
• The loud music coming from down the street is bothering me.

Hey! Don’t bother me!

Sometimes the word "bother" is used as a noun:

• It’s not a bother if you want to sit here and work on your laptop.
• John hired a receptionist in order to eliminate the bother of having to answer phones himself.

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Published June 26, 2014.