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
Chesney had escaped from an outside enclosure on March 25, after being frightened by some unknown barking dogs.
—
Hannah Kirby, jsonline.com, 29 Mar. 2026
Facing cameras and a swath of media in her tiny hometown, Long Rife was not frightened by the prospect of moving cross-country.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026
Grete is frightened of her brother, of course.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Israel knows women and babies were tortured, burned and posed in inhuman ways for one reason — to frighten.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Hannah Kirby, jsonline.com, 29 Mar. 2026
Facing cameras and a swath of media in her tiny hometown, Long Rife was not frightened by the prospect of moving cross-country.
—Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 28 Mar. 2026
Grete is frightened of her brother, of course.
—Christine Smallwood, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026
Israel knows women and babies were tortured, burned and posed in inhuman ways for one reason — to frighten.
—Boston Herald Editorial Staff, Boston Herald, 22 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frighten
Verb
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The coyote grabbed the boy and took him to the ground before a nearby adult rushed over and scared the animal away.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
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That didn’t scare off the Mets, who signed him to a two-year deal in December and invited him to spring training.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Less than a week after the Rangers selected him in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft, Adam Sýkora stood 100 stories above downtown Manhattan, terrified.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
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The Hand & The Eye likely will open with little in the way of advance reservations, a situation that would terrify most producers of live entertainment.—
Chris Jones,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Maybe their first kiss wasn’t a spontaneous expression of care, but a deliberate attempt to startle Emma.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2026
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Horner dropped a package, McGuire said, and was startled by the team.—
Amelia Mugavero,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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New York — Computer science and engineering students at the University of Washington, spooked about AI, returned from spring break last week to a surprising email from the department head.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
8 Apr. 2026
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One poor call won’t spook an aggressive breeding tom.—
Bruce Brady,
Outdoor Life,
8 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frighten. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.
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