as in worries
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 fears
Automation fears shadow labor fight Supporters say rising vehicle costs, fluctuating pay and opaque app algorithms have fueled frustration among drivers who often work long hours while paying for gas, insurance, maintenance and vehicle wear-and-tear themselves.
—
Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026
Europe’s newfound openness to African industrialization is not because dependency suddenly became morally objectionable, but because Europe increasingly fears dependency itself.
—W. Gyude Moore, semafor.com, 25 May 2026
Beverly Wright, whose family in New Orleans goes back eight generations, fears relocation could fracture the city.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 25 May 2026
Svetlana Gannushkina, an 88-year-old human rights defender who lived through the Soviet era, fears a return to its familiar terrors under Putin.
—Anna Nemtsova, Time, 23 May 2026
Stagflation fears that were background noise three months ago are now front and center.
—Jason Kirsch, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Kamyszek fears his home and community might soon be interrupted by a potential solar farm.
—Ashley Paul, CBS News, 20 May 2026
Now Kapuga fears that the latest Mideast war will intensify that conflict — because the war is pushing up the price of fuel and fertilizer, so farmers are spending more to plant less.
—Diaa Hadid, NPR, 16 May 2026
The group fears the administration will seek to fill the board with industry figures who may prioritize their own firms’ agendas instead of basic science.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 11 May 2026
Leah Willingham, Los Angeles Times, 26 May 2026
Europe’s newfound openness to African industrialization is not because dependency suddenly became morally objectionable, but because Europe increasingly fears dependency itself.
—W. Gyude Moore, semafor.com, 25 May 2026
Beverly Wright, whose family in New Orleans goes back eight generations, fears relocation could fracture the city.
—Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 25 May 2026
Svetlana Gannushkina, an 88-year-old human rights defender who lived through the Soviet era, fears a return to its familiar terrors under Putin.
—Anna Nemtsova, Time, 23 May 2026
Stagflation fears that were background noise three months ago are now front and center.
—Jason Kirsch, Forbes.com, 20 May 2026
Kamyszek fears his home and community might soon be interrupted by a potential solar farm.
—Ashley Paul, CBS News, 20 May 2026
Now Kapuga fears that the latest Mideast war will intensify that conflict — because the war is pushing up the price of fuel and fertilizer, so farmers are spending more to plant less.
—Diaa Hadid, NPR, 16 May 2026
The group fears the administration will seek to fill the board with industry figures who may prioritize their own firms’ agendas instead of basic science.
—Dan Vergano, Scientific American, 11 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fears
worries
Verb
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Europe now openly worries about deindustrialization, supply-chain fragility, and excessive dependence on external manufacturing ecosystems.—
W. Gyude Moore,
semafor.com,
25 May 2026
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And Westphal still worries about rolling power outages, which are all too common when the temperature gets too high.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fears.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fears. Accessed 1 Jun. 2026.
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