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# irritate

«irritate» in Mova's school dictionary: **to annoy them or make them a bit angry, often by doing…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 4 sentences of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

verb (irritate, irritates, irritated, irritating)

### meaning for a pupil

1) To irritate someone is to annoy them or make them a bit angry, often by doing something again and again. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/irritate/#m1)

2) To irritate part of the body, such as skin or eyes, is to make it sore, itchy or red. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/irritate/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In everyday life and stories, «irritate» shows mild annoyance: a buzzing fly or a humming brother. In health and safety, some soaps, plants, smoke and chemicals irritate the skin or eyes, so we wear gloves or goggles. Common phrases: «irritate the skin», «irritate the eyes», «it irritates me when…», «get irritated», «irritating habit».

### examples

- It really irritates me when people chew loudly. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/irritate/#x1)
- My brother hummed just to irritate me. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/irritate/#x2)
- Smoke from the bonfire irritated my eyes. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/irritate/#x3)
- This wool jumper irritates my skin. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/irritate/#x4)
- The teacher was irritated by the constant tapping. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/irritate/#x5)
- Some cleaning sprays can irritate your lungs, so open a window. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/irritate/#x6)
- Stinging nettles irritate your skin and make little bumps. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/irritate/#x7)
- “Don’t irritate him unnecessarily,” had been Wendy’s instructions in the hold; so Tootles stepped forward politely. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/I/irritate/#x8)

### note

Regular verb: irritated, irritating. «Irritated» = how you feel (I was irritated); «irritating» = what causes it (an irritating noise). Noun: «irritation». «Irritant» is a substance that irritates, a word seen on hazard labels. It is milder than «enrage» or «infuriate».

### In the corpora

- [A sneeze is a reflex that blasts air out of the nose and mouth to clear something irritating, like dust or pepper.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/biology/66-lungs-and-breathing/13/)
- [Ants and nettles inject formic acid and other chemicals that irritate the nerves in your skin.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/chemistry/15-acids-in-the-kitchen/16/)
- [Smoke irritates the airways; homes and cars should be smoke-free, and smoking out of the window is not enough.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/medicine/14-asthma-and-inhalers/12/)
- [Toothpaste can irritate skin, and doctors don't recommend it for spots.](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/school/world/175-its-on-tiktok-so-its-true-and-the-comment-section/19/)

### Trees and pragmatics

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