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.

They are believed to scare away the mythical monster Nian, who would terrorize villages at the start of the new year. —

Brandi D. Addison, The Arizona Republic, 31 Dec. 2024 While the first dorsal fin of the filefish doesn’t really move—it is thought that its main purpose is to scare off predators by looking menacing—there are still motor neurons that control it. —

Elizabeth Rayne, Ars Technica, 30 Dec. 2024 High prices could scare off would-be investors, but momentum abounds. —

Max Zahn, ABC News, 27 Dec. 2024 Last summer our Airbnb in Spain delivered resplendent views — and, several times an hour, the booming sound of an air cannon firing over a nearby orchard to scare away the birds. —

Megan Tady, People.com, 26 Dec. 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 3 Feb. 2025.

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