put the fear of God into (someone)

idiom

: to frighten (someone) very badly
The bad economic news has put the fear of God into investors.

Examples of put the fear of God into (someone) in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Whatever the case, the news of the bargain-basement selloff in Britain has certainly put the fear of God into collectors of similar supernatural souvenirs. Joe Queenan, WSJ, 30 July 2022 Oliver believes that jettisoning the consumer-welfare standard will put the fear of God into woke corporations. Robert H. Bork Jr., National Review, 14 July 2021 Medieval muralists put the fear of God into churchgoers with lurid scenarios of demons and devils. Kat McGowan, Discover Magazine, 25 Mar. 2019

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'put the fear of God into (someone).' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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Cite this Entry

“Put the fear of God into (someone).” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/put%20the%20fear%20of%20God%20into%20%28someone%29. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.

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