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
My body had decided to be terrified anyway.
—
Allbusiness,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
The killings were engineered to terrify the remaining Poles into fleeing westward, so extensive documentation was spread of the accompanying torture and mutilation.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
20 June 2026
Jaws terrified audiences when it was released during the early summer of 1975, but no one was more haunted by the film than its director, Steven Spielberg.
—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 June 2026
In the immediate days after the flood, West devoted herself to getting food, gift cards, clothing, and money into the hands of her Hispanic neighbors—no matter their status—who were terrified by the law enforcement that had swarmed into Hunt.
—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Allbusiness,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2026
The killings were engineered to terrify the remaining Poles into fleeing westward, so extensive documentation was spread of the accompanying torture and mutilation.
—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
20 June 2026
Jaws terrified audiences when it was released during the early summer of 1975, but no one was more haunted by the film than its director, Steven Spielberg.
—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 June 2026
In the immediate days after the flood, West devoted herself to getting food, gift cards, clothing, and money into the hands of her Hispanic neighbors—no matter their status—who were terrified by the law enforcement that had swarmed into Hunt.
—
Karen Valby,
Vanity Fair,
16 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrify
Verb
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But her outbursts frightened the children too.
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What frightened me most was what might happen to my children.
Verb
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Don’t be scared by his blue eyes.
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The intent of the letters isn’t to scare people, but to educate them about water stewardship, Talbott said.
Verb
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The mobile phone alert startled many across the city-state of Dubai, the first such alert since the interim ceasefire.
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Lansley said she has been startled by how chatbots can appear to display emotional intelligence.
Cite this Entry
“Terrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrify. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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