verbverb harries, verb harrying, verb harried

• 1Persistently carry out attacks on (an enemy or an enemy's territory)

  ‘the raiders then spent three months harrying and burning the area’

  More example sentences

  • ‘The king's adoption of Danish tactics in the winter of 878, such as his use of strongholds and small mobile raiding parties to harry the lands of his enemies, was forced upon him by immediate circumstances.’
  • ‘To combat air attacks, and to harry the long-range German Focke-Wulf Kondor aircraft which acted as reconnaissance for the U-boats, makeshift efforts were made to give air cover, before escort carriers were introduced.’
  • ‘Their mission is to blow up bridges, block roads and generally harry and destroy any enemy forces with which they come into contact.’
  • ‘Flying columns harried rebel territory throughout late November, and on 5 December the remnants of the peasant army were surrounded at Hasselt.’
  • ‘The North was harried and the ancient church at Ripon burnt.’

  Synonyms

  attack, assail, assault, maraud, ravage, devastate, wreak havoc on

  View synonyms

  1. 1.1Persistently harass.
     ‘the government is being mercilessly harried by a new lobby’
     More example sentences

     • ‘He continued to attack, harry and chase every ball and was rewarded late on with a dramatic Golden Goal.’
     • ‘Fabrizio Ravanelli had been impressive harrying the home defenders but had contributed little in attack until he took possession on the right touchline.’
     • ‘Without firm figures, they continued to harry Doig to find them.’
     • ‘Andy Lawrie harried Clyde goalkeeper Bryn Halliwell sufficiently in the very opening assault to earn the first of two rapid corners.’
     • ‘Second Thoughts looks at people's careers that turned in the space of just a few words - following three people who spoke out for what they believed in and were harried and criticised for it.’
     • ‘‘All those years later we were still being harried by red tape and Turkish customs and coastguards,’ Dobson recalls.’
     Synonyms

     harass, hound, pressurize, bring pressure to bear on, put pressure on, lean on, keep on at, go on at, chivvy, bedevil, torment, pester, bother, disturb, worry, annoy, badger, nag, plague, persecute, molest

     harassed, hard-pressed, beleaguered, agitated, flustered, bothered, troubled, distressed, vexed, beset, hag-ridden, hounded, plagued, tormented

     View synonyms