as in to scare
to strike with fear
around the campfire the campers tried to frighten one another with ghostly legends and grisly tales
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Recent Examples of frighten
Her collectedness collapses as Johnson turns the joke into a physical act-out, becoming almost insulted that this earthquake dared to frighten her.
—
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
What specifically frightens you?
—Tim Brinkhof, Big Think, 15 Sep. 2025
Judy Hernandez’ husband Raul, a co-founder of the community group the Resurrection Project, dismissed those plans as a political stunt geared to create fear and frighten Spanish-speaking people.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Many of us are conditioned to think that our ultimate goal in life is to be with someone, so much so, that the mere thought of being alone frightens us.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 15 Sep. 2025
What specifically frightens you?
—Tim Brinkhof, Big Think, 15 Sep. 2025
Judy Hernandez’ husband Raul, a co-founder of the community group the Resurrection Project, dismissed those plans as a political stunt geared to create fear and frighten Spanish-speaking people.
—Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
Many of us are conditioned to think that our ultimate goal in life is to be with someone, so much so, that the mere thought of being alone frightens us.
—Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 2 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frighten
Verb
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Nice to know there’s stuff that scares him.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Oct. 2025
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There’s something about kidnapping that scares the fear out of you, Goldberg-Polin says.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Sharabi, who is terrified of being held in a tunnel, is being moved to one.—
Eli Sharabi,
Time,
1 Oct. 2025
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Aldo had spent his time in the States terrified that he would be deported back to Cuba and jailed.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
New Yorker,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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First baseman Michael Toglia covered his head, too, and was startled when the ball landed a few feet from him.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
28 Sep. 2025
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Sleep may be disturbed by a pet's movements, and dogs may bite if startled.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Sep. 2025
Verb
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You may have been spooked by the early arrival of Halloween merchandise in retail outlets, some of it around the Fourth of July.—
George Petras,
USA Today,
27 Sep. 2025
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Didn’t want to spook him, first of all.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frighten. Accessed 7 Oct. 2025.
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