: thrown into or being in a state of fear, fright, or panic
scared of snakes
scared to go out
Synonyms
Examples of scared in a Sentence
I am really scared about speaking in front of the class.
He was scared that his mother wouldn't let him go to the movies with his friends.
She's scared to walk alone at night.
Recent Examples on the Web
In my experience, pre-teens and teens love to be scared.
—
Marta Balaga, Variety, 20 Sep. 2023
But doing this to immigrants, who are already disoriented and probably scared?
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 20 Sep. 2023
Bell Telephone switchboards and the Tribune newsroom were flooded with calls from confused and scared residents who turned angry when told, yes, the Sox had won, and, no, the end of the world wasn’t nigh.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2023
But for Lucy Guo, co-founder of Scale AI and CEO of Passes, free-falling from 10,000 feet up is just one of her many thrilling hobbies—despite being scared of heights.
—Payton Kirol, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2023
If dissolving into a nameless swarm sounds terrifying, don’t be scared, babygirl.
—Alex Quicho, WIRED, 11 Sep. 2023
Four days in she was scared enough to go to the emergency room.
—Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023
The victim was scared and convinced to send a large amount of cash to a Texas address through UPS.
—cleveland, 2 Sep. 2023
Chan's work, for example, uses virtual reality to create helpful distractions that reimagine those sensations patients may be scared about in a different way.
—Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 31 Aug. 2023
See More
Marta Balaga, Variety, 20 Sep. 2023
But doing this to immigrants, who are already disoriented and probably scared?
—Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 20 Sep. 2023
Bell Telephone switchboards and the Tribune newsroom were flooded with calls from confused and scared residents who turned angry when told, yes, the Sox had won, and, no, the end of the world wasn’t nigh.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 18 Sep. 2023
But for Lucy Guo, co-founder of Scale AI and CEO of Passes, free-falling from 10,000 feet up is just one of her many thrilling hobbies—despite being scared of heights.
—Payton Kirol, Fortune, 17 Sep. 2023
If dissolving into a nameless swarm sounds terrifying, don’t be scared, babygirl.
—Alex Quicho, WIRED, 11 Sep. 2023
Four days in she was scared enough to go to the emergency room.
—Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 8 Sep. 2023
The victim was scared and convinced to send a large amount of cash to a Texas address through UPS.
—cleveland, 2 Sep. 2023
Chan's work, for example, uses virtual reality to create helpful distractions that reimagine those sensations patients may be scared about in a different way.
—Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 31 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scared.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1579, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing scared
Dictionary Entries Near scared
Cite this Entry
“Scared.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scared. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.
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More from Merriam-Webster on scared
Nglish: Translation of scared for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of scared for Arabic Speakers
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