scare

1 of 2

verb

ˈsker 

scared; scaring

transitive verb

: to frighten especially suddenly : alarm

intransitive verb

: to become scared

scarer noun

scare

2 of 2

noun

1

: a sudden fright

2

: a widespread state of alarm : panic

scare adjective

Synonyms of scare

Verb

• frighten
• terrify
• startle

Noun

• fear
• anxiety
• fearfulness
• panic

Examples of scare in a Sentence

Verb

You scared me. I didn't see you there.

Stop that, you're scaring the children.

Noun

There have been scares about the water supply being contaminated.

fired over their heads in order to throw a scare into them

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The ensuing encounter, probably the most gruesome cinematic dental scene since Marathon Man, will scare you into scheduling a deep cleaning post-haste. — Frank Scheck, HollywoodReporter, 19 Aug. 2026

That’s why jumps in yields can scare politicians even more than swings in the stock market. — ABC News, 19 Aug. 2026

Noun

Guests can expect new foods and fresh activities during both the afternoon and evening, with four scare zones and seven haunts. — Finch Walker, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2026

Nvidia was back at record highs by June 25, 2025, yet every efficiency headline since has been read through the January template, including the scare the market relived this July around Moonshot AI's Kimi K3. — Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English skerren, from Old Norse skirra, from skjarr shy, timid

First Known Use

Verb

12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing scare

• bomb scare
• frighten/scare the life out of
• jump-scare
• scare away/off
• scare into
• scare quotes
• scare someone to death
• scare up

Rhymes for scare

• air
• ayre
• bahr
• bare
• blare
• care
• chair
• claire
• ere
• err
• eyre
• fair

Kids Definition

scare

1 of 2 verb

ˈske(ə)r 

ˈska(ə)r

scared; scaring

1

: to frighten suddenly : alarm

2

: to become scared

scare

2 of 2 noun

1

: a sudden fright

2

: a widespread state of alarm : panic