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
The prospective repercussions terrify the corner of the AI universe concerned about safety, industry experts said, particularly as leading players pursue artificial general intelligence, or AGI, which is technology that rivals or exceeds human intelligence.
—
Hayden Field,jonathan Vanian,jennifer Elias, CNBC, 14 May 2025
The radiotherapy had caused swelling in my brain—apparently a normal response, but still terrifying.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 May 2025
The daughter of the trickster god Anansi, Abena spent her entire life terrified that her dad would lose her in a bet, and still bears a grudge that the Doctor couldn't take her away.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 May 2025
Castañeda, terrified, began selling her clothes to fund an escape.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrify
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Hayden Field,jonathan Vanian,jennifer Elias, CNBC, 14 May 2025
The radiotherapy had caused swelling in my brain—apparently a normal response, but still terrifying.
—Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 May 2025
The daughter of the trickster god Anansi, Abena spent her entire life terrified that her dad would lose her in a bet, and still bears a grudge that the Doctor couldn't take her away.
—Richard Edwards, Space.com, 10 May 2025
Castañeda, terrified, began selling her clothes to fund an escape.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 10 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Cite this Entry
“Terrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrify. Accessed 28 May. 2025.
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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