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.

These small-yet-mighty keychains blast ultra-loud sirens that alert bystanders and scare off perpetrators in the event of an attack. —

Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 9 Feb. 2025 The Dolphins could use the franchise ($19.6 million) or transition tag ($15.6 million) to lock Holland in for another season, or scare off bidders. —

Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2025 But does a struggling defense scare off potential recruits? —

Adam Lichtenstein, Sun Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2025 By Kelly Field Contributor | Plymouth, N.H. Dino Koff, Dartmouth College’s director of financial aid, knows his institution’s $90,000 price tag can scare away low- and middle-income families. —

Kelly Field, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 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 19 Feb. 2025.

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