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
The venture capitalist’s arguments go right to the heart of the growing wave of AI anxiety affecting both job seekers and workers fearing future layoffs.
—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
Some retailers, fearing legal troubles, automatically began rounding down.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 5 Mar. 2026
Lebanese government officials had urged Hezbollah not to enter the fray in support of Iran, fearing another war.
—Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
His family initially declined to post bail, fearing a federal immigration detainer would result in his transfer to immigration custody, according to the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo, which represented Shah Alam.
—Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Reyna, who like other immigrants interviewed asked that their last names not be published, fearing retribution, cleaned stalls on a dairy farm and now works at a manufacturing plant.
—Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 26 Feb. 2026
Some worry about the legislation’s impact on school funding, fearing that more tax breaks for developers will pull money away from public schools and libraries.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
Krayeske said Walker’s family asked police to leave multiple times and even begged at one point, fearing the situation would not end well.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Feb. 2026
He and his wife, who had arrived in Mexico only a day earlier, were forced to evacuate for several hours, fearing that a nearby fuel tanker, also ablaze, could explode.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 23 Feb. 2026
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
Some retailers, fearing legal troubles, automatically began rounding down.
—Marissa Meador, IndyStar, 5 Mar. 2026
Lebanese government officials had urged Hezbollah not to enter the fray in support of Iran, fearing another war.
—Jon Gambrell, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2026
His family initially declined to post bail, fearing a federal immigration detainer would result in his transfer to immigration custody, according to the Legal Aid Bureau of Buffalo, which represented Shah Alam.
—Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026
Reyna, who like other immigrants interviewed asked that their last names not be published, fearing retribution, cleaned stalls on a dairy farm and now works at a manufacturing plant.
—Sophie Carson, jsonline.com, 26 Feb. 2026
Some worry about the legislation’s impact on school funding, fearing that more tax breaks for developers will pull money away from public schools and libraries.
—Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 25 Feb. 2026
Krayeske said Walker’s family asked police to leave multiple times and even begged at one point, fearing the situation would not end well.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 25 Feb. 2026
He and his wife, who had arrived in Mexico only a day earlier, were forced to evacuate for several hours, fearing that a nearby fuel tanker, also ablaze, could explode.
—Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 23 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fearing
worrying
Verb
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Nothing’s worse than worrying about an overly revealing neckline or an itchy zipper midway through dinner.—
Malia Griggs,
Glamour,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The Spurs are worrying about problems like this in the immediate, while the Bulls are far off from worrying about game-plan intricacies determining their success.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fearing. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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