frightened; frightening
ˈfrī-tᵊn-iŋ 
ˈfrīt-niŋ
1
: to make afraid : terrify
The movie scene frightened the child.
2
: to drive or force by frightening
frightened the boy into confessing
: to become frightened
She doesn't frighten easily.
Examples of frighten in a Sentence
The story really frightened me.
The child was badly frightened by the mask.
Recent Examples on the Web
Barcelona and Real Madrid now routinely put €1billion (£870million) release clauses in their best players’ contracts to frighten off would-be suitors.
—
Matt Slater, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
If the intent was to frighten the population, the move succeeded.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Within my book, one of the things that frightens me most is the fact that with censorship, there’s often not a clear red line, right?
—Fiction Non Fiction
october 2, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025
Kids will love sending this Dilophosaurus sauntering across the floor, frightening everything and everyone in his path.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
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Matt Slater, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
If the intent was to frighten the population, the move succeeded.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Within my book, one of the things that frightens me most is the fact that with censorship, there’s often not a clear red line, right?
—Fiction Non Fiction
october 2, Literary Hub, 2 Oct. 2025
Kids will love sending this Dilophosaurus sauntering across the floor, frightening everything and everyone in his path.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Cite this Entry
“Frighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frighten. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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