nag

If a person asks you to do something, again and again, you can use the word "nag." Notice that a person (usually in the form of an object pronoun) almost always comes after the word "nag."

• Tarek’s wife is nagging him to fix the window.
• Joe’s father nagged him to get his haircut until he finally did it.
• Arianna’s boss keeps nagging her to work more hours on the weekend, but she doesn’t want to.
• This toothache is nagging me. I have to see a dentist.
• The teacher has to nag some students to remember to bring a pen or pencil to class.
• Do you think I’m nagging you too much?

You can also use the word "nag" as a noun:

• Darrel’s wife is kind of a nag.
• All the nagging that she does is starting to get on his nerves.
• Her neighbors also think she’s a nag. They can hear her nagging her husband all the time.

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This page was first published on January 8, 2012. it was updated on December 11, 2016.