0 present participle of bother
1 to make the effort to do something:
[ + to infinitive ] He hasn't even bothered to write.
You could have phoned us but you just didn't bother.
[ + -ing verb ] Don't bother making the bed - I'll do it later.
[ + -ing verb or + to infinitive ] You'd have found it if you'd bothered looking/to look.
You won't get any credit for doing it, so why bother?
2 to make someone feel worried or upset:
Does it bother you that he's out so much of the time?
Living on my own has never bothered me.
I don't care if he doesn't come - it doesn't bother me.
[ + that ] It bothers me that he doesn't seem to notice.
I don't know why he bothers to bet - his horses always come in last.
Why bother getting up at all when you don't have a job to go to?
They went to a lot of trouble for their dinner party, but half the guests didn't bother to turn up.
The idea of going grey doesn't bother me, but I'd hate to go bald.
"He can do what he likes - it doesn't bother me, " she said airily.