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3. tease out

tease out

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tease something out

Fig. to separate threads or hairs by combing. The hairdresser teased Jill's hair out carefully. The hairdresser teased out Jill's hair.

See also: out, tease

tease out something

also tease something out

to carefully separate particular facts from a great deal of information What has always been interesting for me is how you can tease out the reasons for an event as you review its history. After a while, you learn how to tease out the errors hidden in texts.

Related vocabulary: puzzle over something

See also: out, tease

tease out

Lure out, obtain or extract with effort, as in We had a hard time teasing the wedding date out of him. This term alludes to the literal sense of tease, "untangle or release something with a pointed tool." [Mid-1900s]

See also: out, tease

tease out

v.

To remove or obtain something by or as if by untangling or releasing with a pointed tool or device: I teased the knot out with a pair of tweezers. The interviewer teased the truth out of the politician.

See also: out, tease