The Oxford Thesaurus An A-Z Dictionary of Synonyms - tease v.

1) bait, taunt, torment, harass, bedevil, bother, nettle, plague, chaff, pester, annoy, irritate, needle, goad, badger, provoke, vex, twit, tantalize, frustrate, Non-Standard aggravate, Colloq guy, pick on, rib, drive mad or crazy, drive up the wall, Brit take the mickey out of, Slang rag: Stop teasing the animals! Frances would tease me by agreeing to go out and then begging off with a headache. 2) coax, worry, winkle, work, manipulate: He was finally able to tease the broken piece of key out of the lock.