as in worrying
to experience concern or anxiety
her friends feared that she was dating a guy who was all wrong for her
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Recent Examples of fearing
Yet even in the face of these losses, many retailers remain hesitant to modernize their approach to returns, fearing that stricter policies could hurt customer satisfaction.
—
Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
The French, the Dutch, even the Germans appear to be running out of patience, or fearing electoral backlash.
—Jack Sheehan
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Posting on social media allows youth to talk about their experiences, often anonymously, without fearing that the situation will escalate out of their control.
—Laura Schwab Reese, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025
Some student activist groups and civil society groups called off protests on Monday, fearing a harsher crackdown from authorities.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 1 Sep. 2025
Farkas noted that Putin has eschewed major international events, such as the July BRICS bloc of developing nations summit in Brazil, fearing arrest due to the outstanding warrant.
—Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2025
In a similar way, playing with AI, rather than fearing it, builds confidence.
—Steven P. Dinkin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
For many, an AI bot feels safer than confiding in parents or peers, without fearing judgment.
—The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2025
Three months out from the gubernatorial election, Republicans in the commonwealth are increasingly pessimistic, fearing the race could affect GOP candidates further down the ballot.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 25 Aug. 2025
Footwear News, 4 Sep. 2025
The French, the Dutch, even the Germans appear to be running out of patience, or fearing electoral backlash.
—Jack Sheehan
september 4, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Posting on social media allows youth to talk about their experiences, often anonymously, without fearing that the situation will escalate out of their control.
—Laura Schwab Reese, The Conversation, 2 Sep. 2025
Some student activist groups and civil society groups called off protests on Monday, fearing a harsher crackdown from authorities.
—Chad De Guzman, Time, 1 Sep. 2025
Farkas noted that Putin has eschewed major international events, such as the July BRICS bloc of developing nations summit in Brazil, fearing arrest due to the outstanding warrant.
—Angie Leventis Lourgos, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2025
In a similar way, playing with AI, rather than fearing it, builds confidence.
—Steven P. Dinkin, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2025
For many, an AI bot feels safer than confiding in parents or peers, without fearing judgment.
—The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 26 Aug. 2025
Three months out from the gubernatorial election, Republicans in the commonwealth are increasingly pessimistic, fearing the race could affect GOP candidates further down the ballot.
—Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 25 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fearing
worrying
Verb
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Patients often wait until the doctor is standing up to leave before blurting out their real concern, which is typically a sensitive or time-consuming problem, such as wanting to start birth control, having painful periods, or worrying about pregnancy or STDs.—
Dr. Jill Grimes,
CNN Money,
8 Sep. 2025
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Losing or leaving a job is already stressful enough without worrying about when your last paycheck will show up.—
Tiffani Jackson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fearing. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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