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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of terrify
We were terrified of his strict rules on frugality....
—
Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Barbara Daly, Diana’s makeup artist on the day, says the soon-to-be-princess spilled perfume down the front of the dress before leaving for church and was terrified that the Emanuels would notice.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 24 June 2025
Blanche is terrified of aging and of losing her ability to command a room of men and be looked at.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2025
Every manager, then, wanted a guy on his bench who was there for one reason only: to grab a bat, terrify the closer and obliterate a baseball.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 June 2025
Barbara Daly, Diana’s makeup artist on the day, says the soon-to-be-princess spilled perfume down the front of the dress before leaving for church and was terrified that the Emanuels would notice.
—Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 24 June 2025
Blanche is terrified of aging and of losing her ability to command a room of men and be looked at.
—David L. Coddon, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2025
Every manager, then, wanted a guy on his bench who was there for one reason only: to grab a bat, terrify the closer and obliterate a baseball.
—Jayson Stark, New York Times, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrify
Verb
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But their return has also angered and frightened livestock farmers and others in rural communities who are having to learn to live alongside these once nearly-extinct creatures.—
Ruth Sherlock,
NPR,
9 July 2025
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But on Friday night, the booms and blasts of celebratory fireworks appear to have frightened them away.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 July 2025
Verb
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The combination of a floodlight and a camera is a great way to scare off intruders and get better quality footage at night.—
Simon Hill,
Wired News,
11 July 2025
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Simply pull the pin, and the device will emit a blaring siren sound in combination with a strobe light that will draw attention to your situation and scare away would-be threats.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
10 July 2025
Verb
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Your trash schedule might not be top of mind this Independence Day between going to fireworks displays, making a last-minute run to the grocery store or getting startled by loud booms.—
Eleanor Nash
July 3,
Kansas City Star,
3 July 2025
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According to a crash report, a cicada flew into the driver's window, startling the driver.—
Kaycee Sloan,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrify. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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