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
The Secretary of State called the event an attempt to frighten public servants.
—
Jack Perry, The Providence Journal, 9 Jan. 2026
But monks there complained that the slain king was walking around at night, frightening them with strange sounds.
—Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026
The loud sounds and flashes of light were thought to frighten Nian and other evil spirits.
—Brandi D. Addison, Cincinnati Enquirer, 31 Dec. 2025
To pursue such meaning is to frighten it off, like the impure approaching a unicorn, in the same way that repeating a word over and over again drains it of coherence.
—Literary Hub, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Jack Perry, The Providence Journal, 9 Jan. 2026
But monks there complained that the slain king was walking around at night, frightening them with strange sounds.
—Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026
The loud sounds and flashes of light were thought to frighten Nian and other evil spirits.
—Brandi D. Addison, Cincinnati Enquirer, 31 Dec. 2025
To pursue such meaning is to frighten it off, like the impure approaching a unicorn, in the same way that repeating a word over and over again drains it of coherence.
—Literary Hub, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frighten
Verb
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This being an aggravation of the previous injury could scare off even more potential suitors.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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But to enter the church, berate peaceful worshipers and scare children crosses a line.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Anyone with a fear of heights should be terrified.—
Susan Shelley,
Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
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Daniel Kaluuya stars as a Black photographer visiting his white girlfriend's parents and is terrified to discover the truly insidious reason for his invitation.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The exchange startled Loftus, who this month shared the correspondence with the Orlando Sentinel.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Jan. 2026
-
YouTube’s growth as a competitor to traditional television has startled the industry in recent years.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The thing that spooked me most in all this though, wasn’t the bad guys being bad guys.—
Anna Cafolla,
Vogue,
23 Jan. 2026
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Takaichi’s move to announce a February 8 snap election further spooked the market.—
William Pesek,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frighten. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.
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