scare away/off

phrasal verb

scared away/off; scaring away/off; scares away/off

: to cause (someone or something) to go away and stay away because of fear or because of possible trouble, difficulty, etc.

The dog scared the prowler away.

The noise scared off the birds.

Tourists have been scared off by the recent violence in the city.

Examples of scare away/off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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.

Meanwhile, this ultra-loud Vantamo alarm keychain, $10 off, and this two-pack of Emdmak door stop alarms, $13, can scare off intruders and attackers, giving you time to get away safely. —

Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 1 Jan. 2025 Those safety violations can scare away customers who see those news headlines and notice when employees seem overworked and shelves are sloppy, Keith said. —

Melissa Repko, CNBC, 3 Dec. 2024 Susan Strassberg? — as Desdemona, might have been released, a version to scare away both Orson Welles and Laurence Olivier from blacking up for the part. —

Thomas Doherty, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Oct. 2024 Brown then realized compassion would not scare off the 24-year-old. —

Joshua Kloke, The Athletic, 20 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for scare away/off

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“Scare away/off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scare%20away%2Foff. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

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