To bother means to annoy, disturb, or cause trouble for someone. When your little brother keeps interrupting while you're trying to read, he's bothering you. When a mosquito buzzes around your ear at night, it's bothering you. The word captures that particular feeling of being pestered or hassled by something you wish would just stop.

You can also bother yourself by worrying or taking extra trouble over something. If a friend says “don't bother wrapping the gift,” they mean you don't need to go through that extra effort. When you say “why bother?” about studying for an easy quiz, you're questioning whether it's worth the trouble.

Bother works as a noun too. You might describe a flat tire as a real bother, meaning an inconvenience or annoyance. Sometimes people say “sorry to bother you” when they need to interrupt someone, acknowledging that they're causing a small disruption.

The word suggests something more than mild irritation but less than serious harm. A bothered person feels pestered, not devastated. It's the everyday friction of being disturbed when you'd rather be left alone.