What does bother mean?
Word: Bother
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: Bother means to annoy someone or get in their way. It also means to take the trouble to do something.
Synonyms: trouble, annoy
How do you spell bother?
Syllables: both - er
Tricky part: The first vowel is a short o, as in hot. Do not let it turn into an a: bather is a different word, a person who is bathing.
Watch out for: bawther, bauther
Memory tip: Bother has the short o of hot and pot: a pot boiling over is a real bother.
Idioms and Phrases
- hot and bothered: worried and flustered Example: "Mohit got hot and bothered when he could not find his ticket."
Bother in a sentence
Example 1: Please do not bother the dog while it is eating.
Example 2: The noise from the road did not bother Ishaan at all.
Example 3: Nani said I need not bother to wash the cups.
Fun Fact
Bother first appeared in print in the early 1700s in the writing of Irish authors, and it may come from the Irish word bodhar, meaning deaf.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the synonym of the word:
bother
a) ignore
b) help
c) calm
d) disturb
Show answer
d) disturb. To bother someone is to disturb them.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) feather
b) together
c) brother
d) bothar
Show answer
d) bothar. The last two letters of bother are e and r, the same as in together and feather.
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
hertob
a) bohter
b) bother
c) bothre
d) botehr
Show answer
b) bother. Begin with b and the o that follows it, then fit the other four letters in.
Word Cookie
Find the misspelt word in the sentence:
Please do not boter the baby while she is asleep.
a) baby
b) boter
c) asleep
d) while
Show answer
b) boter. The soft middle sound of bother needs h after the t.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Which sentence uses bother correctly?
a) She bothers very tall for her age.
b) The bother on the wall is red.
c) I bother a new pen from the shop.
d) Please don't bother me while I study.
Show answer
d) Please don't bother me while I study.
2. 'Don't bother to wait for me,' said Aryan. He meant:
a) wait very quietly
b) you need not wait
c) wait at the gate
d) please wait for me
Show answer
b) you need not wait
