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
Like the 1987 Kurt Vonnegut novel from which the restaurant took its name, Bluebeard encourages guests to drop their guard, surround themselves with other people and try something that frightens them a little.
—
Usa Today Network, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
The state spent more than $2 million on nonlethal efforts to drive the wolves away from human communities, working day and night over the summer to frighten them with drones, flags, rubber bullets and beanbags, among other methods.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 6 Feb. 2026
This is no longer about ideology, this is about standing up for those who are being wrongly arrested, being unfairly harassed or being made to feel constantly frightened in their own homes.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Why was Caesar Augustus frightened of Ovid?
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Usa Today Network, USA Today, 11 Feb. 2026
The state spent more than $2 million on nonlethal efforts to drive the wolves away from human communities, working day and night over the summer to frighten them with drones, flags, rubber bullets and beanbags, among other methods.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 6 Feb. 2026
This is no longer about ideology, this is about standing up for those who are being wrongly arrested, being unfairly harassed or being made to feel constantly frightened in their own homes.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Feb. 2026
Why was Caesar Augustus frightened of Ovid?
—Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frighten
Verb
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However, both candidates said the possibility doesn’t scare them.—
Maya Wilkins,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2026
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Bain and Howell are currently ranked out of range of the Patriots’ pick, but their length could scare teams away.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
26 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Aubry Bracco is the kind of player who terrifies a certain (male) demographic of Survivor alumni.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
25 Feb. 2026
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He’s terrified appropriately of the task at hand.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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At first, the banker is startled.—
Angie Han,
HollywoodReporter,
27 Feb. 2026
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Jordan and Lindo appeared startled by the incident but continued with their presentation.—
Yi-Jin Yu,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The seventh Scream film has landed in theaters, prepared to spook viewers — whether longtime fans of the franchise or newcomers.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
27 Feb. 2026
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The piece in Vox points out some issues with Citrini’s predictions—all the money pumped into AI has to pay at least a few salaries, maybe this time the government will regulate something—but the story is plausible enough to have really spooked a noticeable chunk of the tech industry.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frighten. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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