as in to frighten
to strike with fear
the prospect of speaking in front of a huge crowd of people absolutely terrifies me
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Recent Examples of terrify
To be arrested for doing my job, to have agents come to my home and terrify my three children, is something that’s going to take our family a long time to recover from.
—
Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 7 Feb. 2026
There are things to be terrified of.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
What terrifies Iran’s theocrats the most, the fear that eclipses all their fears, is the ability of the people at large to clearly see the essential realities of the present regime.
—Azadeh Moaveni, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
So much of it has become normalized for me, but if a weekend skier was up there, I’d be terrified for them.
—Zak Keefer, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Anna Moeslein, Glamour, 7 Feb. 2026
There are things to be terrified of.
—Hanif Abdurraqib, New Yorker, 6 Feb. 2026
What terrifies Iran’s theocrats the most, the fear that eclipses all their fears, is the ability of the people at large to clearly see the essential realities of the present regime.
—Azadeh Moaveni, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
So much of it has become normalized for me, but if a weekend skier was up there, I’d be terrified for them.
—Zak Keefer, New York Times, 2 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrify
Verb
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Konstantin, 4, a sociable boy, is often frightened by loud noises and guards, his parents said.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
13 Feb. 2026
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Like the 1987 Kurt Vonnegut novel from which the restaurant took its name, Bluebeard encourages guests to drop their guard, surround themselves with other people and try something that frightens them a little.—
USA TODAY NETWORK,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Why this message is designed to scare This scam relies on presentation, not accuracy.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
13 Feb. 2026
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That kind of stuff is fun, [and] doesn’t scare me too much.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Twyla Tharp’s ballet Push Comes to Shove, which premiered in 1976, startled and delighted audiences with its coy, self-referential humor, and its flirtation with popular dance styles such as jazz and tango.—
Sara Krolewski,
The Atlantic,
5 Feb. 2026
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After several chest compressions, Briana startled awake and cried.—
Jayme Fraser,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Terrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrify. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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