terrify

verb

ter·​ri·​fy ˈter-ə-ˌfī 

ˈte-rə-

terrified; terrifying

transitive verb

1

a

: to drive or impel by menacing : scare

b

: deter, intimidate

2

: to fill with terror

Synonyms of terrify

• frighten
• scare
• startle

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

Spotify is terrifying much of the podcast industry with a tiny little widget. — Max Tani, semafor.com, 9 Aug. 2026

Family members on the ground waiting for their kids to get off the ride were terrified as well, the girls said. — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 8 Aug. 2026

What terrifies you about this moment and inspires you about this moment? — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026

He is terrified by it, but at the same time tries to use this instrument of terror so as to be master of it in his turn. — Jan Tumlir, Artforum, 5 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin terrificare, from terrificus

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for terrify

• abscissae
• adonai
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi

Kids Definition

terrify

verb

ter·​ri·​fy ˈter-ə-ˌfī 

terrified; terrifying

: to fill with terror

terrifyingly

-ˌfī-iŋ-lē

adverb