mindmap root((骚扰)) bait implies wanton cruelty or delight in persecuting a helpless victim: siblings ~ed each other constantly. badger implies pestering so as to drive a person to confusion or frenzy: ~ed her father for a raise in her allowance. heckle implies persistent interruptive questioning of a speaker in order to confuse or discomfit: drunks ~d the stand-up comic. hector carries an implication of bullying, scolding and domineering that breaks spirit: as a child he had been ~ed by his father. chivvy suggests persecution by teasing or nagging: ~ed her husband to the breaking point. hound implies unrelenting pursuit and persecution: ~ed on all sides by creditors.