fear the worst
idiom
: to fear that the worst possible thing has happened
When we heard there had been an accident, we feared the worst.
Examples of fear the worst in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Without a strategy to secure aid deliveries, humanitarian officials fear the worst is still to come.
—
Hazem Balousha, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Jogging out toward left field, where Corbin Carroll was on the ground, hurt on the warning track, Lovullo couldn’t help but fear the worst on Saturday night.
—Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 1 May 2023
But even as earnings are forecast to slump to their lowest level in three years, investors fear the worst is yet to come.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 19 Apr. 2023
The number of suicides in Lake County has stayed more or less flat over the past 18 months, but officials fear the worst is yet to come.
—James T. Norman, chicagotribune.com, 20 Sep. 2021
The spike has coincided with a flurry of new pandemic-restrictions in Maryland this week as health experts and regional leaders fear the worst is yet to come.
—Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2020
Meanwhile, renters like Peñate fear the worst may be far from over.
—Matthew Brown, USA TODAY, 24 June 2021
Many companies and leaders fear the worst when the topic of sabbaticals comes up.
—Nick Leighton, Forbes, 1 June 2022
The buzzing cellphone messages led some residents to fear the worst.
—Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2021
Hazem Balousha, Washington Post, 4 Apr. 2024
Jogging out toward left field, where Corbin Carroll was on the ground, hurt on the warning track, Lovullo couldn’t help but fear the worst on Saturday night.
—Nick Piecoro, The Arizona Republic, 1 May 2023
But even as earnings are forecast to slump to their lowest level in three years, investors fear the worst is yet to come.
—Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 19 Apr. 2023
The number of suicides in Lake County has stayed more or less flat over the past 18 months, but officials fear the worst is yet to come.
—James T. Norman, chicagotribune.com, 20 Sep. 2021
The spike has coincided with a flurry of new pandemic-restrictions in Maryland this week as health experts and regional leaders fear the worst is yet to come.
—Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2020
Meanwhile, renters like Peñate fear the worst may be far from over.
—Matthew Brown, USA TODAY, 24 June 2021
Many companies and leaders fear the worst when the topic of sabbaticals comes up.
—Nick Leighton, Forbes, 1 June 2022
The buzzing cellphone messages led some residents to fear the worst.
—Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fear the worst.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fear the worst
Cite this Entry
“Fear the worst.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fear%20the%20worst. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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