frighten

verb

fright·​en ˈfrī-tᵊn 

frightened; frightening ˈfrī-tᵊn-iŋ 

ˈfrīt-niŋ

transitive verb

1

: to make afraid : terrify

The movie scene frightened the child.

2

a

: to drive or force by frightening

—used with into

frightened the boy into confessing

b

: to cause to go or stay away through fear

—often used with away or off

The dog frightened the prowler away.

The high prices frighten off tourists.

intransitive verb

: to become frightened

She doesn't frighten easily.

frighteningly

ˈfrī-tᵊn-iŋ-lē 

ˈfrīt-niŋ-lē

adverb

Synonyms of frighten

• scare
• terrify
• startle
• spook

Examples of frighten in a Sentence

The story really frightened me.

The child was badly frightened by the mask.

Recent Examples on the Web

Fireworks can frighten animals and send them scattering, but Jackie and Shadow’s eaglets apparently are made of sterner stuff. — Sandra McDonald, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026

In those moments, what frightened her most was not her own safety but the knowledge that her husband was up there somewhere, flying in the same sky swarming with fighter planes dropping their bombs on Tehran. — Mahsa Alimardani, Time, 6 July 2026

At the time of writing, as the Marine Traffic map shows, tanker traffic is barely moving through the Strait, and many ships, unable to obtain insurance or with their owners frightened at the level of risk involved, are refusing to advance. — Ariel Cohen, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026

But because the president has frightened Congress, Congress doesn’t raise its voice when the president puts his Albert Speer–like building project, or intends to, on Congress’s land. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 1 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

fright entry 1 + -en entry 2

First Known Use

1630, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing frighten

• frighten away/off
• frighten into
• frighten out of
• frighten/scare the life out of
• frighten the life out of
• frighten to death

Rhymes for frighten

• brighten
• chitin
• heighten
• lighten
• phaeton
• tighten
• titan
• triton
• whiten
• enlighten
• exciton
• periphyton

Kids Definition

frighten

verb

fright·​en ˈfrīt-ᵊn 

frightened; frightening ˈfrīt-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

1

: to make afraid : terrify

2

: to drive away or out by frightening

3

: to become frightened

frighteningly

-niŋ-lē 

-ᵊn-iŋ-

adverb