as in to scare
to strike with fear
around the campfire the campers tried to frighten one another with ghostly legends and grisly tales
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Recent Examples of frighten
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
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
That, in turn, frightens most dissenters and distracts the public when Putin fails to fulfill the economic promises he’s made.
—Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2025
In the security footage, which amassed over 1.2 million views, one cat ran up the stairs frightened after hearing a commotion coming in the closet under the stairs.
—Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Elena Becatoros, Chicago Tribune, 5 Feb. 2025
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
That, in turn, frightens most dissenters and distracts the public when Putin fails to fulfill the economic promises he’s made.
—Trudy Rubin, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2025
In the security footage, which amassed over 1.2 million views, one cat ran up the stairs frightened after hearing a commotion coming in the closet under the stairs.
—Barbara A. Perry, Newsweek, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frighten
Verb
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In 2023, a bear barged into a bakery in Avon, scared employees and helped itself to 60 cupcakes before ambling away.—
Stephen Underwood,
Hartford Courant,
1 Mar. 2025
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Wise infuses a nurturing maturity and vulnerability in Nicole that scares Roger, and challenges him to confront his unhealthy relationship habits and general indecisiveness.—
Morgan A. Grain,
Essence,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
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They are devastated by what has happened, and terrified of what could happen if the current ceasefire collapses and the war and bombing resumes.—
Gordon G. Chang,
Newsweek,
3 Mar. 2025
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The very idea of going to the Oscars on acid sounds terrifying AF, but so does coming off acid in the middle of the Oscars, which also happened to Parker and Stone.—
Lester Fabian Brathwaite,
EW.com,
2 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Lilian, startled, looked around at the door, and that made the sisters laugh: Lilian, too, was tricked, just like the hedgehog.—
Yiyun Li,
The New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2025
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Homelessness and trauma can cause people to startle reflexively when touched, Greig says, part of the reason the site’s staff offers hugs to clients and encourages them to call family.—
Ian Willms,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2025
Verb
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While her son was atop the horse, a woman was captured on video running up behind the horse and pulling its tail, spooking the animal and causing the boy to be thrown off, according to KTVU and Fox 26 News.—
KC Baker,
People.com,
3 Mar. 2025
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That bodes well for spending, but the layoffs of federal workers could spook consumers to cut back.—
Bryan Mena,
CNN,
26 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frighten. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
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