terrify
verb
ter·ri·fy
ˈter-ə-ˌfī 
ˈte-rə-
terrified; terrifying
1
a
: to drive or impel by menacing : scare
b
: deter, intimidate
2
: to fill with terror
Examples of terrify in a Sentence
The thought of dying alone terrifies her.
the prospect of speaking in front of a huge crowd of people absolutely terrifies me
Recent Examples on the Web
Aubry Bracco is the kind of player who terrifies a certain (male) demographic of Survivor alumni.
—
Joe Reid, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2026
He’s terrified appropriately of the task at hand.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
The violent spree terrified and shocked Sacramento at the time.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 24 Feb. 2026
And with his clutch reputation, teams are terrified of him in big moments.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrify
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Joe Reid, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2026
He’s terrified appropriately of the task at hand.
—Jack Dunn, Variety, 25 Feb. 2026
The violent spree terrified and shocked Sacramento at the time.
—Lia Russell, Sacbee.com, 24 Feb. 2026
And with his clutch reputation, teams are terrified of him in big moments.
—Zach Harper, New York Times, 19 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Cite this Entry
“Terrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrify. Accessed 1 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
terrify
verb
ter·ri·fy
ˈter-ə-ˌfī
terrified; terrifying
: to fill with terror
terrifyingly
adverb
-ˌfī-iŋ-lē
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