fright

verb

frighted; frighting; frights

transitive verb

: to alarm suddenly : frighten

Synonyms of fright

• scare
• frighten
• terrify
• startle

Examples of fright in a Sentence

a ghastly sight that would fright even the most stouthearted soul

Recent Examples on the Web

For anyone into sheer terror with a side of entertainment, streaming services like Shudder can fright and delight. —Jennifer Jolly, USA TODAY, 22 Dec. 2022

Word History

Etymology

Middle English frighten, going back to Old English fyrhtan, going back to Germanic *furhtjan- (whence also Old Saxon forhtian "to fear, shy away from," Old High German forahten, furhten, Gothic faurhtjan), verbal derivative of *furhta- "frightened, fearful" — more at fright entry 1

Note: The causative meaning of the Old English verb is not reflected in the other Germanic forms; Old English also has a weak verb of a different class, forhtian "to fear, be afraid."

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fright

• fright wig
• look a fright
• stage fright
• take fright

Rhymes for fright

• bight
• bite
• blight
• byte
• cite
• dight
• fight
• fite
• flight
• height
• hight
• kite

Kids Definition

fright

noun

ˈfrīt

1

: fear caused by sudden danger : sudden terror

cry out in fright

2

: something that is strange, ugly, or shocking

your hair looks a fright