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
So naturally, Oliver, who is already terrified of the mob, panics and brings the body upstairs with him in a laundry cart, which is never ideal.
—
Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025
All of this terrified his father, Charlie, a former cop who had a premonition that something would go wrong.
—Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
Lewis, the five-star recruit and the people’s choice, looked good handing off and terrified on obvious passing downs.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
Haunt fans will be thrilled and terrified by this year’s Halloween Horror Nights as Universal Studios Hollywood has once again lived up to its own high standards and exceeded the bar set for haunted attractions in Southern California with a terrific new lineup for 2025.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Tom Smyth, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2025
All of this terrified his father, Charlie, a former cop who had a premonition that something would go wrong.
—Seth Wickersham, The Atlantic, 8 Sep. 2025
Lewis, the five-star recruit and the people’s choice, looked good handing off and terrified on obvious passing downs.
—Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 7 Sep. 2025
Haunt fans will be thrilled and terrified by this year’s Halloween Horror Nights as Universal Studios Hollywood has once again lived up to its own high standards and exceeded the bar set for haunted attractions in Southern California with a terrific new lineup for 2025.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrify
Verb
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Judy Hernandez’ husband Raul, a co-founder of the community group the Resurrection Project, dismissed those plans as a political stunt geared to create fear and frighten Spanish-speaking people.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Sep. 2025
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Many of us are conditioned to think that our ultimate goal in life is to be with someone, so much so, that the mere thought of being alone frightens us.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Just enough time to snap some selfies and scare your housemates.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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Their offense, outside their all-world quarterback, doesn’t scare anybody, not without Rashee Rice (suspension) and Xavier Worthy (injury), and with Travis Kelce in Year 13.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Seagulls lift off the beach, startled by the sudden salty cacophony.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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While some dogs are more confident, others may become easily startled by noises, objects, or movements that appear harmless to humans.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrify. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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