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
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
Members of Helen Dance Academy will perform a lion dance at noon and 1 p.m. Lion dances are believed to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck in the new year.
—Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2024
On the other hand, some businesses said metered parking might actually scare off customers.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2023
In ancient China, a solar eclipse signaled that the sun was being devoured by a dragon; people would bang drums and make loud noises to scare off the beast and bring back daylight.
—Dan Falk, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024
The Texans claimed Tart, with two other teams putting in claims as well, so clearly the concerns weren’t so bad as to scare off suitors.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024
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
Members of Helen Dance Academy will perform a lion dance at noon and 1 p.m. Lion dances are believed to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck in the new year.
—Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2024
On the other hand, some businesses said metered parking might actually scare off customers.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2023
In ancient China, a solar eclipse signaled that the sun was being devoured by a dragon; people would bang drums and make loud noises to scare off the beast and bring back daylight.
—Dan Falk, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Mar. 2024
The Texans claimed Tart, with two other teams putting in claims as well, so clearly the concerns weren’t so bad as to scare off suitors.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scare away/off.' 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
“Scare away/off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scare%20away%2Foff. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
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