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
That’s terrifying on a whole different level.
—
Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Hodges managed to hang on to his baton but then found himself on all fours, surrounded by the mob, terrified that he would soon be torn apart.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
At another level, there does seem to be something absurd and even terrifying about the idea that someone who is not elected can become the leader of a country and then will be recognized as the leader of that country and receive the immunities afforded to heads of state.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2026
By 2025, she was terrified that her teenage daughters would be killed by a driver on their walk home from school.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrify
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Will Harris, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Jan. 2026
Hodges managed to hang on to his baton but then found himself on all fours, surrounded by the mob, terrified that he would soon be torn apart.
—Jamie Thompson, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2026
At another level, there does seem to be something absurd and even terrifying about the idea that someone who is not elected can become the leader of a country and then will be recognized as the leader of that country and receive the immunities afforded to heads of state.
—Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Jan. 2026
By 2025, she was terrified that her teenage daughters would be killed by a driver on their walk home from school.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 1 Jan. 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 18 Jan. 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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