as in to frighten
to strike with fear
thunderstorms have always scared her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fear
the emotion experienced in the presence or threat of danger
fired over their heads in order to throw a scare into them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scare
Driadonna Roland, refinery29.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Black vultures who have been allowed to occupy a roost for a long time will be harder to scare away, says Pierce.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 Feb. 2025
Tim Grierson, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
This year, counterfeit third-party software is causing significant scares for retailers, threatening their operations and customer trust.
—Javed Hasan, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scare
Verb
Ultimately jurors had to assess the authenticity of the gun used in the incident, which the defense argued was a prop gun that Rocky carried to scare off attackers and fired only as a warning.
—Driadonna Roland, refinery29.com, 19 Feb. 2025
Black vultures who have been allowed to occupy a roost for a long time will be harder to scare away, says Pierce.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 18 Feb. 2025
Noun
Remarkably, though, director Andy Muschietti’s thriller doesn’t feel incomplete without the second segment, more than capably delivering enough scares and emotional resonance — not to mention an ending that leaves the door open for the next installment but closes this chapter with real power.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 21 Feb. 2025
This year, counterfeit third-party software is causing significant scares for retailers, threatening their operations and customer trust.
—Javed Hasan, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scare
Verb
-
On the streets, conservative protesters, frightened that the left could win the next election, have rallied to Yoon.—
ROBERT E. KELLY,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Feb. 2025
-
That frightened stray kitten forgot her fears and moved up on that ball of paper and batted it across the floor and then batted it again.—
Carole Wendt,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
This fear is a type of anxiety disorder most common in people between the ages of 17 and 34.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
28 Feb. 2025
-
Jurors deliberated less than 90 minutes over the crime, which renewed fears of anti-Muslim discrimination in the Chicago area’s large and established Palestinian community.—
Sophia Tareen and Melissa Perez Winder,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
They are devastated by what has happened, and terrified of what could happen if the current ceasefire collapses and the war and bombing resumes.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
-
The very idea of going to the Oscars on acid sounds terrifying AF, but so does coming off acid in the middle of the Oscars, which also happened to Parker and Stone.—
Lester Fabian Brathwaite,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Qigong also was found helpful in treating arthritis, depression and anxiety, and hypertension in a May 2022 study published in the Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research.—
Melanie Radzicki McManus,
CNN,
7 Mar. 2025
-
One possibility is anxiety, which, according to Kaiser, feeds on avoidance.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Lilian, startled, looked around at the door, and that made the sisters laugh: Lilian, too, was tricked, just like the hedgehog.—
Yiyun Li,
The New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2025
-
Homelessness and trauma can cause people to startle reflexively when touched, Greig says, part of the reason the site’s staff offers hugs to clients and encourages them to call family.—
Ian Willms,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Uncertainty is scary, but fear, panic and worry add insult to injury—another layer of stress.—
Bryan Robinson,
Forbes,
7 Mar. 2025
-
But another 454 people were injured during the ensuing panic.—
Elizabeth Hernandez,
The Denver Post,
7 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scare. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share