night terror
noun
: a sudden awakening in dazed terror that occurs in children during slow-wave sleep, is often preceded by a sudden shrill cry uttered in sleep, and is not remembered when the child awakes
—usually used in plural
Examples of night terror in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Early in the game, Bridges suffers an emotional loss that distorts reality as the game continues, shadowing him with hallucinations and night terrors.
—
Simon Parkin, The Atlantic, 23 June 2025
To prevent night terrors, practice waking kids up before the night terror begins and sticking to a sleep schedule.
—David Metzger, Parents, 3 Apr. 2025
At first, the couple thought their son was just having a night terror, so Stephanie Thomas — a clinical dietitian at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois — sat next to her son's crib with her hand on his back, trying to calm him down.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 29 May 2025
The boys each had night terrors for months following the surgeries, but are now fully recovered.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for night terror
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Simon Parkin, The Atlantic, 23 June 2025
To prevent night terrors, practice waking kids up before the night terror begins and sticking to a sleep schedule.
—David Metzger, Parents, 3 Apr. 2025
At first, the couple thought their son was just having a night terror, so Stephanie Thomas — a clinical dietitian at OSF HealthCare Children’s Hospital of Illinois — sat next to her son's crib with her hand on his back, trying to calm him down.
—Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 29 May 2025
The boys each had night terrors for months following the surgeries, but are now fully recovered.
—Sam Gillette, People.com, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for night terror
Cite this Entry
“Night terror.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/night%20terror. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
night terror
noun
night ter·ror
-ˈter-ər 
: a sudden awakening in dazed terror that occurs in children during slow-wave sleep, is often preceded by a sudden shrill cry uttered in sleep, and is not remembered when the child awakes
—usually used in plural
called also pavor nocturnus
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share