harry

/ˈhɛri/

/ˈhæri/

Other forms: harried; harrying; harries

When one army sends raiding parties into another's territory, they're harrying them. They're not making an all-out attack, they're just trying to bother and distract the other army.

Although harry is not a word you hear commonly now, it does frequently occur as harried — which is an adjective used to describe what it feels like to be asked for things from all sides. You might feel harried during final exams, or two days before Christmas, if you haven't yet started your shopping.

Definitions of harry

1. verb

   make a pillaging or destructive raid on (a place), as in wartimes
   synonyms: ravage

   type of:

   destroy, ruin

   destroy completely; damage irreparably
2. verb

   annoy continually or chronically
   “He is known to harry his staff when he is overworked”

   synonyms: beset, chevvy, chevy, chivvy, chivy, harass, hassle, molest, plague, provoke

   types:

   goad, needle

   goad or provoke, as by constant criticism

   bedevil, crucify, dun, frustrate, rag, torment

   treat cruelly

   haze

   harass by imposing humiliating or painful tasks, as in military institutions

   madden

   drive up the wall; get on someone's nerves

   hamstring

   make ineffective or powerless

   badger, beleaguer, bug, pester, tease

   annoy persistently

   oppress, persecute

   cause to suffer

   type of:

   annoy, bother, chafe, devil, get at, get to, gravel, irritate, nark, nettle, rag, rile, vex

   cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations