importune

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for May 3, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>importune</strong> &#149; \im-per-TOON\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p>To <em>importune</em> someone is to annoy or pester them with repeated questions or requests. </p> <p>// Several students <em>importuned</em> the professor to extend the deadline of the lengthy essay assignment until she finally relented.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/importune">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“We learned from Drew Lock at the end of the Denver Broncos' 2019 season that he planned to <em>importune</em> Peyton Manning for any advice, any tips on how to best attack the offseason.” — Chad Jensen, <em>Sports Illustrated</em>, 24 Jan. 2020</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>“Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?” Oh, bother. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end of this classic road-trip refrain, then you, friend, have been importuned. <em>Importune</em> is most often encountered in formal speech and writing, however, so you’re more likely to have responded “Stop bothering/pestering/annoying me!” (or just “No!”) than “Please cease importuning me while I’m driving!” Nevertheless, <em>importune</em>—like <em>bother</em>, <em>pester</em>, and <em>annoy</em>—conveys irritating <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doggedness">doggedness</a> in trying to break down resistance to a request for something, whether information (such as a precise <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eta#h2">ETA</a>) or a favor, as in “repeated e-mails from organizations importuning me for financial help.” <em>Importune</em> also functions in the <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/importune#legalDictionary">legal realm</a>, where it is used for behavior that qualifies as pressing or