scare away/off

phrasal verb

scared away/off; scaring away/off; scares away/off

: to cause (someone or something) to go away and stay away because of fear or because of possible trouble, difficulty, etc.

The dog scared the prowler away.

The noise scared off the birds.

Tourists have been scared off by the recent violence in the city.

Examples of scare away/off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Law enforcement fired their weapons to scare off the cougar, which was found by game wardens and trappers and euthanized later that evening near the scene of the attack. —Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2024

The creativity of Detroiters takes center stage with eccentric garb aimed to scare away any sightings of the evil hobgoblin. —Detroit Free Press, 20 Mar. 2024

Indigenous people say armed miners threaten them, scare off wild game, and pollute rivers with mercury – poisoning the fish and their drinking water. —Ana Ionova, The Christian Science Monitor, 15 Mar. 2024

One of the ways this can occur is by releasing damaging information, such as the material produced by GlassHouse, which can then scare off would-be investors and convince owners to sell their shares. —Gary Baum, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Mar. 2024

The school’s uncertain athletic future is the woolly mammoth in the room, a massive complicating factor that assuredly will scare off many otherwise qualified candidates. —Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2024

The brothers tried to scare off the mountain lion, but the lion immediately charged at Wyatt, biting down on his face and taking Wyatt to the ground. —Ishani Desai, Sacramento Bee, 25 Mar. 2024

Reddit also experienced tumultuous bouts of instability in leadership that may scare off some prospective investors. —TIME, 21 Mar. 2024

For 300 years, Detroiters allegedly have marched the streets to scare away Nain Rouge and ensure good fortune. —Detroit Free Press, 20 Mar. 2024