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
Some impersonated tax officers to frighten British pensioners into draining their life savings into suspicious bank accounts; others peddled irresistible student loan offers to American high schoolers.
—
Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
Don’t be frightened, though, fans; The Parent Trap gal is still in the competition!
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
When the Maitlands' attempts to frighten the Deetzes away fail miserably, Barbara and Adam turn to the mysterious and mischievous Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) to rid them of the living.
—Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
Homelessness While Americans are frightened by many things and events, most are not fearful of tent camps or homeless people.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Snigdha Poonam, The Dial, 28 Oct. 2025
Don’t be frightened, though, fans; The Parent Trap gal is still in the competition!
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025
When the Maitlands' attempts to frighten the Deetzes away fail miserably, Barbara and Adam turn to the mysterious and mischievous Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton) to rid them of the living.
—Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
Homelessness While Americans are frightened by many things and events, most are not fearful of tent camps or homeless people.
—Kurt Snibbe, Oc Register, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frighten
Verb
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Still, the company faces the same existential headwinds that have scared other would-be moguls away from the news business.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
10 Nov. 2025
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Skinner has gone to back-to-back Cup Finals, but the volatility in his game probably scares decision-makers.—
Chris Johnston,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Everyone was terrified of Friedkin.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
8 Nov. 2025
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Trump is terrified of the midterms, of Republicans losing control of the House or the Senate or both.—
Chris Brennan,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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His ability to perceive her internal struggles startled the standup.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
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The boy looked up mid-sob, startled.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
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But the tariffs spooked American businesses, prompting a court challenge, contending that the president had exceeded his authority in imposing the tariffs.—
Nina Totenberg,
NPR,
5 Nov. 2025
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Guzel allegedly had planned to travel in two weeks to Turkey and onward to Syria from there, but it's believed he got spooked after last week's arrests and moved his flight up, sources said.—
Luke Barr,
ABC News,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frighten. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
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