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
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
Robbins’ parents were terrified that the school was using the laptop to spy on their son and other students (including their daughter Paige).
—
Barry Levitt, Time, 8 Apr. 2025
The thought of dying without finding out what happened to her son terrifies Petrone.
—Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2025
Roseville church bomb scare At the Roseville church, employees and volunteers were terrified after security found the backpack shortly after Sunday services on Nov. 12, 2023, the FBI affidavit says.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2025
For a quarter century the Dolphins were plagued by mediocre quarterback play, terrified of having quarterbacks actually compete for their status and roles, and poisoned by bad offensive line play.
—Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrify
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Barry Levitt, Time, 8 Apr. 2025
The thought of dying without finding out what happened to her son terrifies Petrone.
—Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 6 Apr. 2025
Roseville church bomb scare At the Roseville church, employees and volunteers were terrified after security found the backpack shortly after Sunday services on Nov. 12, 2023, the FBI affidavit says.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 4 Apr. 2025
For a quarter century the Dolphins were plagued by mediocre quarterback play, terrified of having quarterbacks actually compete for their status and roles, and poisoned by bad offensive line play.
—Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Cite this Entry
“Terrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrify. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.
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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