any unwanted and destructive insect or other animal that attacks food or crops or livestock etc.; "he sprayed the garden to get rid of pests"; "many pests have developed resistance to the common pesticides"
something or someone that causes trouble; a source of unhappiness; "washing dishes was a nuisance before we got a dish washer"; "a bit of a bother"; "he's not a friend, he's an infliction"
a strong feeling of anxiety; "his worry over the prospect of being fired"; "it is not work but worry that kills"; "he wanted to die and end his troubles"
touch or rub constantly; "The old man worried his beads"
lacerate by biting; "the dog worried his bone"
disturb the peace of mind of; afflict with mental agitation or distress; "I cannot sleep--my daughter's health is worrying me"
be concerned with; "I worry about my grades"
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy; "I worry about my job"
causing injury or blight; especially affecting with sudden violence or plague or ruin; "the blasting effects of the intense cold on the budding fruit"; "the blasting force of the wind blowing sharp needles of sleet in our faces"; "a ruinous war"
the quality of being difficult; "they agreed about the difficulty of the climb"
a factor causing trouble in achieving a positive result or tending to produce a negative result; "serious difficulties were encountered in obtaining a pure reagent"
a condition or state of affairs almost beyond one's ability to deal with and requiring great effort to bear or overcome; "grappling with financial difficulties"
a cataclysm resulting from a destructive sea wave caused by an earthquake or volcanic eruption; "a colossal tsunami destroyed the Minoan civilization in minutes"
an obvious change of public opinion or political sentiment that occurs without leadership or overt expression; "there was a ground swell of antiwar sentiment"
a question raised for consideration or solution; "our homework consisted of ten problems to solve"
a state of difficulty that needs to be resolved; "she and her husband are having problems"; "it is always a job to contact him"; "urban problems such as traffic congestion and smog"