as in worries
to experience concern or anxiety
her friends feared that she was dating a guy who was all wrong for her
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Recent Examples of fears
JPMorgan believes that software stocks, which have slumped in 2026 because of investor fears that artificial intelligence will undermine their business, have now fallen too far, creating an opportunity to buy higher-quality names at attractive valuations.
—
Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 10 Feb. 2026
But Seeley fears that a person’s appetite for drugs will return, too, which could prompt a recurrence of drug use.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Without a replacement deal in place, Sokov fears an unrestrained arms race is likely — not right away, but in five to seven years from now — with the nations pursuing more accurate, sophisticated weapons that are harder to intercept, rather than just increasing warhead numbers.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
In the Super Bowl ad for Amazon‘s Alexa+ AI assistant, Chris Hemsworth fears that the AI is trying to kill him.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 5 Feb. 2026
New college registrations are dipping, with some citing affordability concerns, a souring entry-level job market, and fears artificial intelligence might make some junior and white-collar employment redundant.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026
Gold prices are impacted by a range of factors, and can rise on inflation fears one month, fall on strong economic data the next and then surge again based on geopolitical headlines.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Rising Russia fears NATO’s European members are increasing their state of readiness amid concerns that Russia – whose economy has been placed on a wartime footing by its invasion of Ukraine – could attempt to extend its military reach into European Union territory.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
The phone, not the gun, is the weapon the administration fears.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2026
Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 10 Feb. 2026
But Seeley fears that a person’s appetite for drugs will return, too, which could prompt a recurrence of drug use.
—Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Without a replacement deal in place, Sokov fears an unrestrained arms race is likely — not right away, but in five to seven years from now — with the nations pursuing more accurate, sophisticated weapons that are harder to intercept, rather than just increasing warhead numbers.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 5 Feb. 2026
In the Super Bowl ad for Amazon‘s Alexa+ AI assistant, Chris Hemsworth fears that the AI is trying to kill him.
—Alex Weprin, HollywoodReporter, 5 Feb. 2026
New college registrations are dipping, with some citing affordability concerns, a souring entry-level job market, and fears artificial intelligence might make some junior and white-collar employment redundant.
—Tristan Bove, Fortune, 4 Feb. 2026
Gold prices are impacted by a range of factors, and can rise on inflation fears one month, fall on strong economic data the next and then surge again based on geopolitical headlines.
—Angelica Leicht, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Rising Russia fears NATO’s European members are increasing their state of readiness amid concerns that Russia – whose economy has been placed on a wartime footing by its invasion of Ukraine – could attempt to extend its military reach into European Union territory.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 26 Jan. 2026
The phone, not the gun, is the weapon the administration fears.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 25 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fears
worries
Verb
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Software stocks have sold off in recent weeks on rising AI disruption fears and worries that new agentic tools can replace them.—
Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
9 Feb. 2026
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But what worries me is a judge should not hold up everything.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fears.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fears. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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