fear

1 of 2

noun

ˈfir 

1

a

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

b(1)

: an instance of this emotion

(2)

: a state marked by this emotion

2

: anxious concern : solicitude

3

: profound reverence and awe especially toward God

4

: reason for alarm : danger

fear

2 of 2

verb

feared; fearing; fears

transitive verb

1

: to be afraid of : expect with alarm

fear the worst

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

feared to go out at night

fearer noun

Synonyms

Noun

• anxiety
• fearfulness
• dread
• panic
• terror

Verb

• worry

Choose the Right Synonym for fear

fear, dread, fright, alarm, panic, terror, trepidation mean painful agitation in the presence or anticipation of danger.

fear is the most general term and implies anxiety and usually loss of courage.

fear of the unknown

dread usually adds the idea of intense reluctance to face or meet a person or situation and suggests aversion as well as anxiety.

faced the meeting with dread

fright implies the shock of sudden, startling fear.

fright at being awakened suddenly

alarm suggests a sudden and intense awareness of immediate danger.

view the situation with alarm

panic implies unreasoning and overmastering fear causing hysterical activity.

the news caused widespread panic

terror implies the most extreme degree of fear.

immobilized with terror

trepidation adds to dread the implications of timidity, trembling, and hesitation.

raised the subject with trepidation

Examples of fear in a Sentence

Noun

He was trembling with fear.

unable to walk the streets without fear of being mugged

They regarded their enemies with fear and hatred.

I've been trying to overcome my fear of flying.

The doctor's diagnosis confirmed our worst fears.

The government is trying to allay fears of a recession.

Employees expressed fears that the company would go out of business.

He told us about all his hopes and fears.

She has a morbid fear of cats.

Verb

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

There's no need to fear.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Humanitarian workers—many idealistic and committed—fear that sounding the alarm will end operations altogether. —Nicholas Creel, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025

The threat remains, but the public’s fears, along with the movies that explored them, have faded away. —Tom Nichols, The Atlantic, 10 July 2025

Verb

Democrats privately fear that a prosecution of the clerk could halt their advances, with many wondering why the clerk and county board couldn’t simply work out their differences. —Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2025

With the latest cancellation, experts fear the USPSTF is next. —ArsTechnica, 11 July 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English fer, going back to Old English fǣr, fēr "unexpected danger, peril," going back to Germanic *fēra- or *fēran- (whence also Old Saxon fār "lurking danger," Old High German fāra "ambush, danger," Old Norse fár "evil, mischief, plague"), perhaps going back to a lengthened-grade nominal derivative of a proposed Indo-European verbal base *per- "test, risk" — more at peril entry 1

Note: Attested in Gothic only in the presumed derivative ferja, translating Greek enkáthetos "one put in secretly, spy." Though the etymology proposed above is conventional in dictionaries, the original meaning of the Germanic etymon and its relation to a putative Indo-European *per- are uncertain. See note at peril entry 1. The meaning of the Middle and Modern English noun appears to be derivative of the verb (see fear entry 2) rather than a development of the Old English meaning.

Verb

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

Noun

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

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 one's life
• in fear for one's/someone's life
• in fear of one's life
• live in fear
• never fear
• no fear
• put the fear of God into (someone)
• strike fear into one's heart
• strike fear into the hearts of
• 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