Definition

1. Verb:
   • To annoy or bother someone persistently: To repeatedly and intentionally irritate, pester, or harass someone, often in a nagging or petty manner.
   • To chase or pursue: To follow or drive someone or something, often in a persistent or harassing way.

Usage

• The verb "chivy" is used to describe the action of constantly annoying or pressuring someone. It often implies a sense of nagging or petty harassment over time.
• It can also describe the act of chasing or driving something, such as animals or people, from one place to another.

Examples

• Verb:
  • The older children would constantly chivy the younger ones, teasing them about their clothes.
  • The manager tends to chivy his team about minor details, which lowers morale.
  • The farmer had to chivy the sheep back into the pen.

Advanced Usage

• "to chivy someone into doing something": to persistently nag or pressure someone until they do a particular thing.
  • She finally chivied her brother into cleaning his room.
• "to chivy someone along": to hurry or press someone to move faster or make progress.
  • The tour guide had to chivy the stragglers along to keep the group together.

Variants and Related Words

• Chivvy (verb): An alternative spelling of "chivy" with identical meaning.
  • Stop chivvying me; I'll do it when I'm ready.
• Chevy (verb): A less common variant spelling of "chivy".

Synonyms

• Harass: To torment or pester someone persistently.
• Pester: To trouble or annoy someone with frequent or persistent requests or interruptions.
• Badger: To repeatedly and annoyingly ask someone questions or make demands.
• Hound: To pursue or harass relentlessly.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Chivvy up (British English, informal): To try to make someone hurry or work faster.
  • Can you chivvy up the caterers? The guests will be here soon.

Related Idioms

• To chivy/chivvy someone's life out (informal): To annoy someone extremely or incessantly.
  • Those noisy neighbors are chivvying my life out with their loud music every night.

Verb

1. annoy continually or chronically
   • He is known to harry his staff when he is overworked
   • This man harasses his female co-workers