Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's English Dictionary - bother

(bothers, bothering, bothered) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. If you do not bother to do something or if you do not bother with it, you do not do it, consider it, or use it because you think it is unnecessary or because you are too lazy. Lots of people don’t bother to go through a marriage ceremony these days... Most of the papers didn’t even bother reporting it... Nothing I do makes any difference anyway, so why bother? ...and he does not bother with a helmet either. VERB: with brd-neg, V to-inf, V -ing, V, V with/about n 2. Bother means trouble or difficulty. You can also use bother to refer to an activity which causes this, especially when you would prefer not to do it or get involved with it. I usually buy sliced bread–it’s less bother... Most men hate the bother of shaving. = trouble N-UNCOUNT: also a N 3. If something bothers you, or if you bother about it, it worries, annoys, or upsets you. Is something bothering you?... That kind of jealousy doesn’t bother me... It bothered me that boys weren’t interested in me... Never bother about people’s opinions. VERB: V n, V n, it V n that/wh, V about n, also it V n to-inf • bothered I was bothered about the blister on my hand... I’m not bothered if he has another child. ADJ: v-link ADJ, oft ADJ about n 4. If someone bothers you, they talk to you when you want to be left alone or interrupt you when you are busy. We are playing a trick on a man who keeps bothering me... I don’t know why he bothers me with this kind of rubbish. VERB: V n, V n with/about n 5. If you say that you can’t be bothered to do something, you mean that you are not going to do it because you think it is unnecessary or because you are too lazy. I just can’t be bothered to look after the house... PHRASE: V inflects, usu PHR to-inf 6. hot and bothered: see hot