terrify

verb

ter·​ri·​fy ˈter-ə-ˌfī 

ˈte-rə-

terrified; terrifying

transitive verb

1

a

: to drive or impel by menacing : scare

b

: deter, intimidate

2

: to fill with terror

Synonyms

• affright
• alarm
• alarum
• fright
• frighten
• horrify
• panic
• scare
• scarify
• shock
• spook
• startle
• terrorize

Examples of terrify in a Sentence

The thought of dying alone terrifies her.

the prospect of speaking in front of a huge crowd of people absolutely terrifies me

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Honeybun was terrified and shaking, but immediately so sweet and trusting of us. —Lydia Patrick, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 June 2025

Diana Lopez, a lifelong Santa Ana resident and a psychologist in the Santa Ana Unified School District, said students in her care are terrified. —Hanna Kang, Oc Register, 18 June 2025

Farm laborers, many of whom have lived and worked in their communities for decades, were terrified of being rounded up and deported, separated from their families and livelihoods. —Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin terrificare, from terrificus

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for terrify

• abscissae
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi
• certify

Kids Definition

terrify

verb

ter·​ri·​fy ˈter-ə-ˌfī 

terrified; terrifying

: to fill with terror

terrifyingly

-ˌfī-iŋ-lē

adverb