terrify
verb
ter·ri·fy
ˈter-ə-ˌfī 
ˈte-rə-
terrified; terrifying
1
a
: to drive or impel by menacing : scare
b
: deter, intimidate
2
: to fill with terror
Synonyms
Examples of terrify in a Sentence
The thought of dying alone terrifies her.
the prospect of speaking in front of a huge crowd of people absolutely terrifies me
Recent Examples on the Web
On the one hand, the development of a human rabies vaccine in 1885 was good for dogs: Once pooches were no longer terrifying disease vectors, people could welcome them into their home without reservation.
—
Ben Goldfarb, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
The programmer, terrified, tries to destroy the copy of himself.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 16 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for terrify 
Ben Goldfarb, The Atlantic, 18 Apr. 2024
The programmer, terrified, tries to destroy the copy of himself.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 16 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for terrify
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'terrify.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Terrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrify. Accessed 6 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
terrify
verb
ter·ri·fy
ˈter-ə-ˌfī
terrified; terrifying
: to fill with terror
terrifyingly
adverb
-ˌfī-iŋ-lē
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