as in to scare
to strike with fear
around the campfire the campers tried to frighten one another with ghostly legends and grisly tales
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Recent Examples of frighten
What frightens Joe is Ye’iitsoh, a monstrous entity in Navajo folklore.
—
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2025
Last year, frightened Bookertown residents called FWC after a mother bear and two cubs were seen walking around the community’s mailboxes, Campbell said.
—Martin E. Comas, Orlando Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2025
Miller, of course, is aware that Trump’s intention, always, is to shock, to play the madman, and thus frighten his rivals and alter the terms of the debate.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2025
Seeing those kinds of numbers in headlines may have started to frighten U.S. consumers, data shows.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2025
Last year, frightened Bookertown residents called FWC after a mother bear and two cubs were seen walking around the community’s mailboxes, Campbell said.
—Martin E. Comas, Orlando Sentinel, 15 Mar. 2025
Miller, of course, is aware that Trump’s intention, always, is to shock, to play the madman, and thus frighten his rivals and alter the terms of the debate.
—David Remnick, The New Yorker, 5 Feb. 2025
Seeing those kinds of numbers in headlines may have started to frighten U.S. consumers, data shows.
—Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 4 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frighten
Verb
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As part of their efforts, the duo are trained to simply scare the animals off and run five to seven miles daily, rain or shine.—
Brenton Blanchet,
People.com,
5 Apr. 2025
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Ant scare Anthony Edwards finished with a team-high 28 points on an efficient 10-for-15 shooting from the field.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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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
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The thought of dying without finding out what happened to her son terrifies Petrone.—
Faith Karimi,
CNN Money,
6 Apr. 2025
Verb
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One of the movie’s scenes — startling for its frankness but also its visual beauty — finds the men reclined in the dark of the mine.—
The New York Times,
New York Times,
28 Mar. 2025
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Advertisement The investigations left some school leaders startled and confused, wondering what prompted the inquiries.—
TIME,
TIME,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Recently, her 800-pound draft horse became spooked and rammed into her, knocking her down in the process.—
Nicole Pajer,
People.com,
1 Apr. 2025
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President Trump’s campaign of import tariffs, among other factors, has shaken consumer confidence and spooked the stock market.—
Daniel de Visé,
USA TODAY,
24 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frighten. Accessed 15 Apr. 2025.
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