take fright

idiom

: to suddenly become afraid
I approached very slowly, but the hawk took fright and flew away.
Investors took fright at the news and pulled their money.

Examples of take fright in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That inflationary hit could be compounded if investors take fright and sell the pound, putting additional upward pressure on import costs. Joe Mayes, Bloomberg.com, 16 Oct. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'take fright.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Dictionary Entries Near take fright

Cite this Entry

“Take fright.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20fright. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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