as in to frighten
to strike with fear
thunderstorms have always scared her
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fear
the emotion experienced in the presence or threat of danger
fired over their heads in order to throw a scare into them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scare
Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2025
If your family chaos scares them off early, good riddance.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 7 Feb. 2025
Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2025
The film costars Jamie Foxx, who is making a comeback of his own after a startling 2023 health scare forced his retreat from acting.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for scare 
Verb
Loud motors can scare silver carp into jumping up to 5 feet in the air, sometimes leaving recreational boaters with bloody noses, black eyes and bruises.
—Adriana Pérez, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2025
If your family chaos scares them off early, good riddance.
—Emma Specter, Vogue, 7 Feb. 2025
Noun
Quarterback Caleb Williams gave Chicago Bears fans a bit of a scare Saturday afternoon.
—Dan Wiederer, Chicago Tribune, 18 Jan. 2025
The film costars Jamie Foxx, who is making a comeback of his own after a startling 2023 health scare forced his retreat from acting.
—Ryan Coleman, EW.com, 24 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for scare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scare
Verb
-
Thousands of residents and visitors have left Santorini, frightened by the earthquakes measuring between magnitude 3 and magnitude 5 in the area since the weekend.—
Elena Becatoros,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Feb. 2025
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President Trump did no one any favors and his irresponsible accusations were meant to confuse and spread an unfounded conspiracy while both trying to score political points as well as frighten the flying public needlessly.—
Michael B. Teiger,
Hartford Courant,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Volodymyr Zelensky spoke in a week when a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US counterpart Donald Trump raised fears in Kyiv that it was being frozen out of negotiations, with the White House also downplaying the prospects of Ukraine joining NATO.—
Caitlin Danaher,
CNN,
15 Feb. 2025
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But fear of ice-cold takes never stopped us before.—
Jeff Gluck,
The Athletic,
15 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Instead of a confetti bomb going off, someone turns on the fog/smoke machine, terrifying all of the little pups into relieving themselves everywhere in fear.—
Shamira Ibrahim,
Vulture,
3 Feb. 2025
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But Marcel arrived terrified, hiding in the bathroom and refusing to move or be touched.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Yes, but: Heightened anxiety amid the administration's immigration crackdown has triggered dips in school attendance nationwide.—
Alex Golden,
Axios,
11 Feb. 2025
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The headline result here is pretty clear: people who are more physically active are less likely to suffer from depression and anxiety now and in the future.—
Alex Hutchinson,
Outside Online,
9 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The shocking roar of a vehicle’s engine can startle wildlife.—
Alexandra Owens,
AFAR Media,
10 Feb. 2025
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Jo explained that people with frequent views of auroras tended to draw more positive conclusions about them than those who may have been startled by the sight of them.—
Ari Daniel,
Smithsonian Magazine,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
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What didn't help the passenger's level of panic was the turbulence her flight ran into.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
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Government officials have hastened to quell any panic.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
TIME,
11 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near scare
Cite this Entry
“Scare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scare. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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