as in to frighten
to strike with fear
the prospect of speaking in front of a huge crowd of people absolutely terrifies me
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Recent Examples of terrify
Obviously, they were terrified, had no idea what was going on.
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Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 4 Dec. 2024
In the first Gladiator, Joaquin Phoenix's villain Commodus is more petulant than threatening, only terrifying in his irrationality.
—Esther Zuckerman, TIME, 22 Nov. 2024
Williams was terrified at the time because her 14-year-old twins had just been arrested in a double homicide.
—Heather Hollingsworth, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024
The corrupt and deeply entrenched administrative state is terrified of Trump 2.0.
—Michael Zais, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for terrify 
Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 4 Dec. 2024
In the first Gladiator, Joaquin Phoenix's villain Commodus is more petulant than threatening, only terrifying in his irrationality.
—Esther Zuckerman, TIME, 22 Nov. 2024
Williams was terrified at the time because her 14-year-old twins had just been arrested in a double homicide.
—Heather Hollingsworth, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024
The corrupt and deeply entrenched administrative state is terrified of Trump 2.0.
—Michael Zais, Orlando Sentinel, 24 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for terrify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrify
Verb
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Some sea creatures manifest that may frighten the littles.Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 26 Nov. 2024
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Carmen walks away, frightened, but Lenù gets even closer to the scene of the crime, asking witnesses what happened.Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
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After moving to New York City in her mid-20s, Gloria Steinem made a list of the things about it that scared her.Sarah Medford, Architectural Digest, 12 Dec. 2024
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Still, the issue was not enough to scare off the NFL or the National Basketball Association, which renewed its contract with Nike in October.Gabrielle Fonrouge, CNBC, 11 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Officers sent a drone through the broken window for a better view, startling Moore and prompting him to drive to a Walgreens parking lot where he was taken into custody, police said.Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 16 Dec. 2024
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Keep the door pinned open initially to avoid startling them.Lucy Notarantonio, Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near terrify
Cite this Entry
“Terrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrify. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.
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