giving someone grief

Verb

give someone grief (third-person singular simple present gives someone grief, present participle giving someone grief, simple past gave someone grief, past participle given someone grief)

1. To cause pain to someone.
   • Her elbow has been giving her grief.

   Synonyms:

   hurt, trouble, ache, afflict, aggrieve, agonize, anguish, dere, excruciate, irritate

2. (idiomatic) To hassle or abuse someone.
   • Fred was giving me grief over the money I owed him.

   Synonyms:

   bother, harass, pester, trouble, badger, bait, bedevil, beleaguer, persecute, dog