scare away/off
phrasal verb
scared away/off; scaring away/off; scares away/off
: to cause (someone or something) to go away and stay away because of fear or because of possible trouble, difficulty, etc.
The dog scared the prowler away.
The noise scared off the birds.
Tourists have been scared off by the recent violence in the city.
Examples of scare away/off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
However, these proved too slow to scare off wildlife.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 July 2025
These rising costs are unlikely to scare off wealthy buyers, who are keeping the U.S. luxury market afloat while the regular market is starting to sink under the weight of surging inventory and dwindling sales.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin has frequently raised the prospect of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine in an attempt to scare off Western support for Kyiv.
—Colin Meyn, The Hill, 23 June 2025
Rose Horowitch: Trump’s campaign to scare off foreign students
Xi has consistently stressed the importance of education in sustaining China’s rise.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for scare away/off
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Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 18 July 2025
These rising costs are unlikely to scare off wealthy buyers, who are keeping the U.S. luxury market afloat while the regular market is starting to sink under the weight of surging inventory and dwindling sales.
—Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin has frequently raised the prospect of using nuclear weapons in Ukraine in an attempt to scare off Western support for Kyiv.
—Colin Meyn, The Hill, 23 June 2025
Rose Horowitch: Trump’s campaign to scare off foreign students
Xi has consistently stressed the importance of education in sustaining China’s rise.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for scare away/off
Cite this Entry
“Scare away/off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scare%20away%2Foff. Accessed 2 Aug. 2025.
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