fear

verb

feared; fearing; fears

transitive verb

1

a

: to be afraid of : expect with alarm

fear the worst

Don't fear change—embrace it.

There's nothing to fear.

a ruler who was hated and feared

They feared that he was dead. = They feared him (to be) dead. = He was feared (to be) dead.

It was much less difficult than we had feared (it might be).

b

: to be filled with concern or regret over an unwanted situation

I fear that we have no choice.

2

: to have a reverential awe of

fear God

3

archaic : frighten

4

archaic : to feel fear in (oneself)

intransitive verb

: to be afraid or apprehensive

feared for their lives/safety

Never fear =[don't worry]—we're here to help.

There's no need to fear; you'll do fine.

(formal + literary) Fear not! I will protect you.

—sometimes used with an infinitive

feared to go out at night

… For fools rush in where angels fear to tread …

—Alexander Pope

fearer noun

Synonyms of fear

• worry

Examples of fear in a Sentence

He was a cruel king who was feared and hated by his subjects.

There's no need to fear.

Recent Examples on the Web

Since then, the damage has increased at an alarming rate, and many residents fear the end is near for the 53-year-old structure. —John Ramos, CBS News, 7 June 2026

First and foremost, as was first reported by Shanghai Daily, the child was not seriously injured, so if your first instinct was to fear retribution for laughing at the visual of a humanoid robot doing a Rex-Kwan-Do routine in a clown wig and rocking some little kid in the chest, then worry not. —Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026

Perhaps Wembanyama feared burning too much clock could give the Knicks enough time to win on a final possession. —Mark Medina, Forbes.com, 6 June 2026

Now, at the outset of negotiations that are expected to last at least nine months, fans and industry officials alike fear the sport could be headed for a repeat of that ugly clash. —Evan Drellich, New York Times, 5 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English feren "to frighten, be afraid of," going back to Old English fǣran, fēran "to take by surprise, frighten," weak verb derivative (as also Old Saxon fāron "to lurk in wait for, frighten," Old High German fārēn "to lurk in wait for, strive, devise ill against," Old Norse færa "to slight, taunt") of Germanic *fēra- or *fēran- — more at fear entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Phrases Containing fear

• fear for
• fear for one's life
• fear for one's/someone's life
• fear not
• fear of the unknown
• fear the worst
• fools rush in (where angels fear to tread)
• for fear of
• go where others fear to tread
• I fear
• in fear for
• in fear for one's life
• in fear for one's/someone's life
• in fear of one's life
• live in fear
• no fear
• out of fear for
• put the fear of God into
• put the fear of God into (someone)
• strike fear into one's heart
• strike fear into the hearts of
• struck fear into our hearts
• without fear of contradiction

Rhymes for fear

• beer
• bier
• cheer
• clear
• dear
• deer
• drear
• ear
• fier
• gear
• hear
• here

Kids Definition

fear

1 of 2 noun

ˈfi(ə)r 

1

a

: an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by expectation or awareness of danger

b

: an instance of fear or a state marked by fear

2

: concern about what may happen : worry

3

: awe entry 1

fear

2 of 2 verb

1

: to feel great awe of

fear God

2

: to be afraid of : have fear

3

: to be worried

feared they would miss the train

fearer noun

Medical Definition

fear

noun

ˈfi(ə)r 

1

: an unpleasant often strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger and accompanied by increased autonomic activity

2

: an instance of fear

fear verb