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# bother

«bother» in Mova's school dictionary: **to annoy them or interrupt them: «Don't bother me while…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 5 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (bother, bothers, bothered, bothering); noun (bother — uncountable; a bother); interjection (Bother!)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To bother someone is to annoy them or interrupt them: «Don't bother me while I'm reading.» [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bother/#m1)

2) If something bothers you, it worries or upsets you. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bother/#m2)

3) To bother (to do something) is to make the effort: «He didn't bother to wash his hands.» [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bother/#m3)

4) Bother is trouble or effort: «It's no bother.» [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bother/#m4)

5) «Bother!» is a mild old-fashioned word said when something goes wrong. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bother/#m5)

### sense in the lessons

In everyday life and manners: «Sorry to bother you, but…» is a polite way to start asking an adult for help; «It's no bother» is a polite answer. In feelings lessons, «What's bothering you?» invites someone to share a worry. Safety: if anything online or anyone bothers you, tell a trusted adult. Phrases: «sorry to bother you», «no bother», «can't be bothered», «don't bother».

### examples

- Sorry to bother you, but where is the library? [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bother/#x1)
- Please don't bother the dog while it's eating. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bother/#x2)
- What's bothering you? You look sad. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bother/#x3)
- The noise didn't bother me. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bother/#x4)
- He didn't even bother to say thank you. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bother/#x5)
- «Thanks for helping!» «It's no bother.» [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bother/#x6)
- I can't be bothered to tidy my room. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bother/#x7)
- Oh, bother! I forgot my lunchbox. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bother/#x8)
- "Do not bother me," said the potter. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bother/#x9)

### note

Past: bothered. Pattern: «bother to do» or «bother doing». «Can't be bothered» (UK/Aus/NZ) is informal and sounds lazy. If someone keeps bothering you after you say stop, that may be bullying — tell an adult. Winnie-the-Pooh often says «Oh, bother!»

### In the corpora

- [Supposing another Thing were to come along?» The Rat: «O, bother Toad ...](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/32-willows-ch2-part4-the-wreck-and-the-new-craze/31/)
- [But don't bother — it's only a trouble.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/47-willows-ch6-part3-toad-tricks-the-rat/4/)
- [But don't you bother.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/47-willows-ch6-part3-toad-tricks-the-rat/27/)
- [It's only a trouble» — Toad keeps saying «don't bother», which makes the Rat bother all the more.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/books/47-willows-ch6-part3-toad-tricks-the-rat/28/)
- ["Bother!" is an old-fashioned British mild word for annoyance, used instead of "damn".](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/euphemisms/39-pardon-my-french/9/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «bother» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/B/bother/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.