Definition of scare - Reverso English Dictionary
Verb
1.
emotionfrighten someone suddenly or unexpectedly
- The loud noise scared the children.
2.
worrycause someone to feel worried or afraid
- The news report scared many viewers.
3.
actiondrive something away by frightening
- The dog scared the intruders away.
Noun
1.
emotionsudden feeling of fear
- The loud noise gave her a big scare..
2.
frightening devicedevice or object used to frighten
- The scare in the garden kept birds away.
3.
dangersituation with believed danger like a bomb
- The bomb scare evacuated the building.
Adjective
1.
appearanceRare US very thin or sparseRare US
- The scare vegetation struggled to survive in the desert.
2.
fearfulRare causing unnecessary fear or worryRare
- The scare rumors made everyone anxious.
Expressions with scare
💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.
cause something to flee by frightening it
The loud noise scared off the birds.
strategy to influence public opinion through fear
The company launched a scare campaign about the competitor's product.
cause someone to be extremely frightened
The loud noise scared me stiff.
frighten someone to improve their behavior
The program aims to scare straight troubled teens.
leave someone terrified and frozen in place
The horror movie left me terrified and frozen in my seat.
frighten someone very much suddenly and strongly
That loud noise scared the hell out of me!
frighten someone very strongly causing intense fear or shock
The loud noise scared the life out of the children!
frighten someone very much suddenly and intensely
The loud noise scared the living daylights out of me!
frighten someone extremely
The loud noise scared me to death.
cause someone to feel extreme fear or panic
The loud noise scared me out of my mind.
cause someone to feel extremely frightened
The loud noise scared me out of my wits.
cause someone to feel extreme fear or terror
The horror movie scared me rigid.
cause extreme fear making someone unable to think clearly
The horror movie scared me senseless.
cause extreme fear in someone
The loud noise scared the children silly.
frighten someone very much or suddenly
That movie scared the bejeezus out of me!
frighten someone greatly or intensely
That movie will scare the pants off you!
frighten someone very much
The horror movie scared the socks off everyone in the theater.
frighten someone very much
The loud noise scared the wits out of me.
frighten someone so much they can't think clearly
The horror movie scared me witless.
make people suddenly feel afraid or worried
The loud noise caused a scare in the crowd.
make someone feel sudden fear for a short time
You really gave me a scare when you jumped out!
event causing fear about sickness or health problems
The flu outbreak caused a major health scare in the city.
cause someone to leave due to fear
The loud noise scared away the birds.
become frightened with little provocation
She tends to scare easily during horror movies.
Origin of scare
Old Norse, skirra (to frighten)
Terms with scare included in their meaning
💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
scarecrow
figure made of straw to scare birds
psychology
treated badly by someone who wants to hurt or scare
supernatural scary
story about ghosts meant to scare or thrill
entertainment
amusement park ride designed to scare and entertain
amusement attraction
building designed to scare visitors
angry glare
angry or threatening look meant to upset or scare someone
false scare
warnings without real danger
social threat
scare or unnerve someone
scare off
cause to leave by scaring
scare away
cause someone to retreat due to fear
intense fear
scare someone extremely or very badly
scare someone
make someone extremely scared or terrified
scare someone
make someone suddenly feel scared or startled
entertainment
movie genre intended to scare or shock viewers
entertainment
film genre made to scare or shock viewers
scary narrative
story intended to scare or unsettle
sudden scare
surprise or startle someone suddenly
sudden scare
become frightened by something unexpected
intimidating
intending to intimidate or scare
fear
supernatural scare or fright often linked to ghosts
emotion
scare or unsettle someone
fear
scare or fright
playful scare
surprise or scare someone playfully
stare
angry look meant to scare or show disapproval
Examples of scare in a sentence
He tried to scare his friend with a prank. The sudden noise scared the cat. His threats didn't scare me at all. The loud noise scared the birds from the tree. The sudden movement scared the cat away. The sudden scare made him jump out of his seat.
She felt a scare when she heard footsteps behind her. A scare was placed in the field to deter deer. The scare looked like a real predator. The chemical scare led to a school lockdown. A health scare prompted the recall of the product. The scare branches barely held any leaves. His scare hair made him look older than he was. The scare headlines caused unnecessary panic. Scare tactics were used to influence voters.
View all translations of scare
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:effrayer, frayeur, ...
- German:erschrecken, Schreck, ...
- Italian:spaventare, spavento, ...
- Spanish:asustar, sobresalto, ...
- Portuguese:assustar, susto, ...
- Chinese:吓, 恐惧, ...
- Japanese:怖がらせる, 恐怖, ...
- Arabic:أَخَافَ, فَزَع, ...
- Hebrew:לְהַבְהִיל, בֶּהָלָה, ...
- Russian:испугать, испуг, ...
- Ukrainian:налякати, переляк, ...
- Hindi:डराना, डर, ...
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