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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of terrify
Those in Pakistan are terrified of being killed should they be forced to return.
—
Sophia Saifi, CNN, 6 Feb. 2025
And with Democrats unable to figure out their next moves and a news media terrified of retribution, there may be no one left to stop the self-destruction.
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2025
When the Covid mandate was announced, she was terrified of similar complications.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Sophia Saifi, CNN, 6 Feb. 2025
And with Democrats unable to figure out their next moves and a news media terrified of retribution, there may be no one left to stop the self-destruction.
—S.e. Cupp, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2025
When the Covid mandate was announced, she was terrified of similar complications.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 3 Feb. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrify
Verb
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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
Verb
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His limited resume and the fact he’s spent more time in the box than on the edge also might scare teams, which means Walker’s potential draft range could be rather large.—
Nick Baumgardner,
The Athletic,
18 Feb. 2025
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That's one week after Borderlands 4 and just in time to scare everyone (hopefully) during the all-spooky Halloween season.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
13 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
Cite this Entry
“Terrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrify. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
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