Verb
You scared me. I didn't see you there.
Stop that, you're scaring the children. Noun
There have been scares about the water supply being contaminated.
fired over their heads in order to throw a scare into them
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Verb
Don’t let the Frito pie flavor scare you away — Salt & Straw ice cream is known for its richness, packed with as much butter-fat content as possible — similar to Melt.—Ella Gonzales
may 15, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2026 Over-regulating could scare more insurers away; under-regulating could inflate prices even more.—Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
Noun
Design software companies have been hit hard by the AI scare trade, as investors worry that AI will soon be able to handle creative tasks in minutes.—Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 16 May 2026 Sal Reedus began documenting his weight-loss journey online after multiple life-threatening health scares due to his weight of 725 lbs.—Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 15 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for scare
Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English skerren, from Old Norse skirra, from skjarr shy, timid