frightened; frightening
ˈfrī-tᵊn-iŋ 
ˈfrīt-niŋ
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.
: 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
Putin seeks not only to frighten Europeans but to unnerve Americans, as well.
—
Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 23 Nov. 2025
Putin seeks not only to frighten Europeans but to unnerve Americans, as well.
—Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 22 Nov. 2025
Fortune had reported in its investigation that people within the agency were frightened of examining Boring Company after two staffers who worked on the case had been disciplined.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2025
The first Toy Story 5 footage shows the familiar toys appearing to be frightened of a new tablet that is voiced by Greta Lee.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 23 Nov. 2025
Putin seeks not only to frighten Europeans but to unnerve Americans, as well.
—Trudy Rubin, Mercury News, 22 Nov. 2025
Fortune had reported in its investigation that people within the agency were frightened of examining Boring Company after two staffers who worked on the case had been disciplined.
—Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 20 Nov. 2025
The first Toy Story 5 footage shows the familiar toys appearing to be frightened of a new tablet that is voiced by Greta Lee.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 11 Nov. 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 27 Nov. 2025.
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