scared

adjective

\ ˈskerd

How to pronounce scared (audio)

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Definition of scared

: thrown into or being in a state of fear, fright, or panic scared of snakes scared to go out

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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 There are supernatural thrillers, prequels, sequels, spinoffs, adaptations of famous novels, nostalgic flicks, thrillers, and a few things for those of us who like to be a little scared but still want to be able to sleep. — Lindsay Denninger, refinery29.com, "Your Guide To Every New Halloween TV Special & Series In 2020," 22 Sep. 2020 No exact day has been set, but prepare to be very scared in 2020. — Abby Gardner, Glamour, "The Haunting of Bly Manor," 24 Aug. 2020 The report also found that the students in summer programs were not especially worried or scared about the coronavirus. — Valeria Olivares, Dallas News, "Students’ social-emotional skills have suffered since the pandemic started and some predict it will only worsen," 11 Feb. 2021 Mark looks scared and sickly, like a pre-schooler who has yet to fully understand what smiling means other than displaying one’s teeth. — Sofie Birkin, Marie Claire, "Playing Kerri Strug," 9 Feb. 2021 And some people were kind of in the middle, a little bit scared, 'This is going to my first thing. — Jake Coyle, Star Tribune, "At Sundance, pandemic dramas unfold on screen and off," 28 Jan. 2021 Shardae Hoskins, a member of the police department's Violence Reduction Team, said people in the Adams Street neighborhood woke up scared and are tired of the violence in their streets. — Binghui Huang, USA TODAY, "5 people, unborn child killed in Indianapolis mass shooting," 25 Jan. 2021 Wouldn’t Daphne be a little scared about pregnancy? — Meredith Blake Staff Writer, Los Angeles Times, "How accurate is ‘Bridgerton’s’ tale of sex and scandal in Regency England? We asked," 25 Dec. 2020 Families and individuals in desperate situations did not have access to quality services, or to sustained services—and were often scared of seeking outside help. — Justine Van Der Leun, The New Republic, "“No Choice but to Do It”: Why Women Go to Prison," 17 Dec. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'scared.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near scared

scared to death

Statistics for scared

Last Updated

2 Mar 2021

Cite this Entry

“Scared.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scared. Accessed 3 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for scared

scared

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of scared

: afraid of something : nervous or frightened

See the full definition for scared in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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