bedevil

English

Etymology

be- +‎ devil

Pronunciation

(UK) IPA^(key): [bɪˈdɛvəɫ]

Verb

bedevil (third-person singular simple present bedevils, present participle bedeviling or bedevilling, simple past and past participle bedeviled or bedevilled)

To harass or cause trouble for; to plague.
Guerrilla attacks continued to bedevil the larger army's supply routes.
To perplex or bewilder.

Usage notes

The spellings bedeviling and bedeviled are preferred in the US, while bedevilling and bedevilled are preferred in the UK. However, the choice of spellings is not universal.

Translations

to harass

French: tourmenter (fr), harceler (fr)
German: plagen (de), heimsuchen (de)
Italian: assillare (it), tormentare (it)
Portuguese: atormentar (pt)

Romanian: hărțui (ro)
Russian: му́чить (ru) (múčitʹ), терза́ть (ru) (terzátʹ)
Spanish: atormentar (es)

Anagrams

b'lieved, believ'd, beviled