scare away/off
phrasal verb
scared away/off; scaring away/off; scares away/off
: to cause (someone or something) to go away and stay away because of fear or because of possible trouble, difficulty, etc.
The dog scared the prowler away.
The noise scared off the birds.
Tourists have been scared off by the recent violence in the city.
Examples of scare away/off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Balance Ambition With Realism Inflating numbers can scare away backers, while underselling stunts potential.
—
Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
An officer used a stun gun to scare away a large potbelly pig that came up to them, police said.
—Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2025
Higher prices and looming economic uncertainty could scare off consumers, experts previously told ABC News.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2025
That will scare off a number of teams, but Morrison plays with a very high skill level.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scare away/off
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Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 24 Apr. 2025
An officer used a stun gun to scare away a large potbelly pig that came up to them, police said.
—Mitchell Willetts, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2025
Higher prices and looming economic uncertainty could scare off consumers, experts previously told ABC News.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 14 Mar. 2025
That will scare off a number of teams, but Morrison plays with a very high skill level.
—Steve Silverman, Forbes.com, 21 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scare away/off
Cite this Entry
“Scare away/off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scare%20away%2Foff. Accessed 11 May. 2025.
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