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
This strategy would require support from key U.S. allies to be effective—one more reason why Washington needs to respond to these kinds of crises in a way that seems judicious, patient, and nonescalatory, so as to strengthen its coalition and not scare away key partners.
—
Michael O’Hanlon, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2019
The Maitlands try to scare away Lydia (Winona Ryder), Charles (Jeffrey Jones), and Delia Deetz (Catherine O’Hara) with normal scary tactics.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 5 Sep. 2024
The tactic, which Google calls affirmative litigation, is meant to scare off would-be fraudsters and generate public awareness about scams.
—Paresh Dave, WIRED, 15 Aug. 2024
According to a Wealth Management report, their long-term investment horizon and flexibility position them to capitalize on market dislocations that might scare off others.
—Francois Botha, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scare away/off 
Michael O’Hanlon, Foreign Affairs, 12 Aug. 2019
The Maitlands try to scare away Lydia (Winona Ryder), Charles (Jeffrey Jones), and Delia Deetz (Catherine O’Hara) with normal scary tactics.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 5 Sep. 2024
The tactic, which Google calls affirmative litigation, is meant to scare off would-be fraudsters and generate public awareness about scams.
—Paresh Dave, WIRED, 15 Aug. 2024
According to a Wealth Management report, their long-term investment horizon and flexibility position them to capitalize on market dislocations that might scare off others.
—Francois Botha, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for scare away/off
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scare away/off.' 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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“Scare away/off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scare%20away%2Foff. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.
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