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.
Synonyms
Examples of frighten in a Sentence
The story really frightened me.
The child was badly frightened by the mask.
Recent Examples on the Web
Sent home from school alone, frightened and attached to the TV, the day unfolded before me that even by today's standards was too much, too fast and too sad to grasp the entirety of what went down.
—
Jacquelynn Lueth, CBS News, 15 Nov. 2023
Carta’s ongoing litigation with its former employees has frightened women from coming forward and going on the record with their own experiences, former staffers say.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2023
One day, the lion king was frightened by a roaring noise in the forest.
—Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2023
Meanwhile, physicians frighten parents with warnings of their child’s suicide while convincing parents that there are no long-term effects to puberty blockers and hormone treatments.
—WSJ, 31 Oct. 2023
This diagnosis can make parents feel helpless, confused and frightened for the road ahead.
—Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 24 Sep. 2023
Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office via AP A man shot and killed at least 16 people at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday and then fled into the night, sparking a massive search by hundreds of officers while frightened residents stayed locked in their homes.
—David Sharp, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2023
In Liberia, an audio device frightens elephants away from settlements by imitating buzzing bees.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Oct. 2023
On Sephora Certain masks could frighten other people on the plane when the lights are off, but not this one.
—Amy Louise Bailey, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2023
See More
Jacquelynn Lueth, CBS News, 15 Nov. 2023
Carta’s ongoing litigation with its former employees has frightened women from coming forward and going on the record with their own experiences, former staffers say.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2023
One day, the lion king was frightened by a roaring noise in the forest.
—Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2023
Meanwhile, physicians frighten parents with warnings of their child’s suicide while convincing parents that there are no long-term effects to puberty blockers and hormone treatments.
—WSJ, 31 Oct. 2023
This diagnosis can make parents feel helpless, confused and frightened for the road ahead.
—Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 24 Sep. 2023
Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office via AP A man shot and killed at least 16 people at a restaurant and a bowling alley in Lewiston, Maine, on Wednesday and then fled into the night, sparking a massive search by hundreds of officers while frightened residents stayed locked in their homes.
—David Sharp, Fortune, 26 Oct. 2023
In Liberia, an audio device frightens elephants away from settlements by imitating buzzing bees.
—Cameron Pugh, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Oct. 2023
On Sephora Certain masks could frighten other people on the plane when the lights are off, but not this one.
—Amy Louise Bailey, Travel + Leisure, 17 Oct. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frighten.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
First Known Use
1630, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Phrases Containing frighten
Dictionary Entries Near frighten
Cite this Entry
“Frighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frighten. Accessed 3 Dec. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on frighten
Nglish: Translation of frighten for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of frighten for Arabic Speakers
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