teaser

IPA/ˈtiːzə(r)/
KK[tˈizɚ]IPA/ˈtiːzər/

teaser — noun

  • teasersingular
  • teasersplural

1. a brief piece of promotional material — for instance, a short video, ad, or arti

1.nounB2
Definition

a brief piece of promotional material — for instance, a short video, ad, or article — that reveals just enough detail to spark curiosity about a product, film, or upcoming event.

Example

The studio released a 30-second teaser showing only the main character's shadow.

teaser + for + [film title]

Noor watched the game teaser three times to guess the story.

Common collocations
  • teaser for a film
  • teaser campaign
  • teaser trailer
  • release a teaser
  • teaser advertisement
Synonyms
  • preview

    broader term; a preview can be longer and show more content than a teaser

  • sneak peek

    less formal; often used for products rather than films

Grammar Patterns

teaser + for + [product/media title]

Usage Note

Commonly used in marketing and entertainment contexts. Often combined with 'trailer' — a teaser is shorter and reveals less than a trailer.

Common Mistakes

I watched a teaser trailer for ten minutes.
I watched a 30-second teaser for the film.
Teasers are intentionally short; calling one 'trailer' confuses the two formats.

2. an item or service offered at an extremely cheap introductory price to draw in b

2.nounB2
Definition

an item or service offered at an extremely cheap introductory price to draw in buyers, after which the cost usually rises to the regular level.

Example

Harper bought a teaser gym membership for only ten dollars the first month.

teaser + [noun] as modifier (teaser membership)

Rohan checked the fine print and saw the teaser rate would double in three months.

teaser rate — price that increases

Common collocations
  • teaser rate
  • teaser price
  • teaser period
  • teaser membership
  • teaser offer
Synonyms
  • introductory offer

    more formal and transparent; common in retail

  • loss leader

    refers to a product sold at a loss to draw customers in, not just a temporary low price

Grammar Patterns

teaser + [noun] as modifier

Usage Note

Typically used in consumer finance, telecommunications, and subscription services. Learners should know that a 'teaser rate' or 'teaser price' is temporary and usually followed by a much higher regular price.

Common Mistakes

I bought the phone at a teaser price forever.
I bought the phone at a teaser price, but it went up after the first six months.
Teaser prices are always temporary.

3. a problem, question, or puzzle that is tricky to solve, often designed as a fun

3.nounB1
Definition

a problem, question, or puzzle that is tricky to solve, often designed as a fun mental challenge or game.

Example

Daichi enjoys solving logic teasers during his train ride to work every morning.

logic teaser — collocation with adjective

The teacher gave a maths teaser, and Hyun solved it first.

Common collocations
  • brain teaser
  • logic teaser
  • maths teaser
  • daily teaser
  • solve a teaser
  • teaser question
Synonyms
  • puzzle

    the broader term; all teasers are puzzles, but not all puzzles are teasers

  • riddle

    specifically a question or statement with a hidden double meaning

  • brainteaser

    exact synonym; the hyphenated form is equally common

Grammar Patterns

brain teaser

teaser + about + [topic]

Usage Note

Often appears in the compound 'brain teaser.' Unlike 'puzzle,' 'teaser' emphasises that the problem is designed to be enjoyably difficult rather than purely frustrating.

Common Mistakes

This maths problem is a teaser because I cannot find my calculator.
This maths problem is a teaser because the solution requires a clever trick.
A teaser is tricky by design, not because of missing tools.

4. a person who frequently says funny or slightly annoying things to other people i

4.nounB1
Definition

a person who frequently says funny or slightly annoying things to other people in order to get a reaction, usually in a friendly or joking way rather than a mean one.

Example

Hoa is such a teaser — she hides her brother's keys before work.

such a teaser — common informal pattern

The kids called their uncle a teaser for pretending to eat their snacks.

call someone a teaser

Common collocations
  • harmless teaser
  • a bit of a teaser
  • teaser at heart
Synonyms
  • joker

    focuses on making people laugh rather than specifically teasing them

  • kidder

    American English; informal, usually affectionate

Antonyms
  • bully

    someone who deliberately hurts or frightens others, not playfully

Grammar Patterns

teaser + [relative clause]

Usage Note

Informal and generally positive or neutral. Unlike 'bully,' a teaser does not intend real harm. The word is more common in spoken English than in formal writing.

Common Mistakes

The teacher is a teaser who punishes students unfairly.
The older boy is a teaser who jokes with his friends but stops if they ask him to.
A teaser is playful, not cruel; use 'bully' for someone who causes real distress.

5. a male livestock animal kept alongside females to test or stimulate their readin

5.nounC1
Definition

a male livestock animal kept alongside females to test or stimulate their readiness to mate before the breeding male is brought in.

Example

The farmer used a teaser ram to test which ewes were ready to mate.

teaser + [animal species] — 'teaser ram'

Veterinarians sometimes recommend using a teaser bull to improve pregnancy rates in a cattle herd.

teaser bull — technical collocation

Common collocations
  • teaser ram
  • teaser bull
  • teaser male
  • use a teaser
  • teaser animal

Grammar Patterns

teaser + [animal species]

Usage Note

Highly specialised vocabulary used in livestock breeding. Most English learners will not encounter this sense outside of agricultural or veterinary contexts. The animal is often sterilised so it cannot actually mate.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/3

A 'puzzle' is the broadest term — any game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. A 'riddle' is a specific kind of puzzle that uses ambiguous or figurative language, often in a question-and-answer format ('What has keys but can't open locks? A piano'). A 'brainteaser' is nearly identical in meaning to 'teaser' (sense 3), though 'teaser' sometimes implies that the problem is a warm-up or a sample meant to draw you into a larger challenge. In everyday use, you can call a short logic problem either a 'teaser' or a 'brainteaser' and be understood the same way. For example, 'She solved the teaser in under a minute' and 'She solved the brainteaser in under a minute' mean the same thing.

teaser ↗puzzle ↗riddle ↗brainteaser ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • teaser campaign
  • teaser trailer
  • teaser rate
  • teaser price
  • teaser membership

Phrases

  • teaser of the week
  • teaser advertisement

Prepositions

  • teaser for
  • teaser about

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'teaser' comes from the verb 'tease,' which dates back to Old English 'tǣsan' meaning 'to pull apart or comb' (originally used for carding wool). By the 1600s, 'tease' had taken on the figurative meaning 'to annoy or make fun of playfully.' The noun 'teaser' for 'a person who teases' appeared in the 1800s, and the marketing and puzzle senses developed in the 1900s as advertisers and game-makers borrowed the idea of 'playfully provoking interest.'

First known use

14th century

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1