frighten


fright·en

verb \ˈfrī-tən\
fright·enedfright·en·ing\ˈfrī-tən-iŋ, ˈfrīt-niŋ\

Definition of FRIGHTEN

transitive verb
1
: to make afraid : terrify
2
: to drive or force by frightening <frightened the boy into confessing>
intransitive verb
: to become frightened
fright·en·ing·ly \-tən-iŋ-lē, -niŋ-lē\ adverb

Examples of FRIGHTEN

  1. The story really frightened me.
  2. The child was badly frightened by the mask.

First Known Use of FRIGHTEN

1630

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