give someone grief

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

give someone grief (third-person singular simple present gives someone grief, present participle giving someone grief, simple past gave someone grief, past participle given someone grief)

1. To cause pain to someone.

   Synonyms: hurt, trouble; see also Thesaurus:hurt

   Her elbow has been giving her grief.

2. (idiomatic) To hassle or abuse someone.

   Synonyms: bother, harass, pester, trouble; see also Thesaurus:pester

   Fred was giving me grief over the money I owed him.

   • 2020 May 20, Andrew Haines talks to Stefanie Foster, “Repurpose rail for the 2020s”, in Rail, page 28:

     Some of his colleagues have "given him a bit of grief" for leaving his house, but Haines is quick to counter that he's following Government guidelines while out and about.