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
Powell tried to open the stall door, and then began fondling himself, frightening the 11-year-old, who tried to leave, but Powell blocked him from getting out.
—
Todd Feurer, CBS News, 6 June 2026
Eagle uses bullying and tricks to frighten the other birds and take what belongs to them, leading to serious consequences.
—Eric E. Harrison, Arkansas Online, 3 June 2026
However, Erickson had already awoken and confronted him with the gun to try to frighten him.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
This war has been a disaster for them, frightening away foreign investors, tourists and talent and burdening them with a future of huge new defense bills to deter Iran after the United States is gone.
—Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Todd Feurer, CBS News, 6 June 2026
Eagle uses bullying and tricks to frighten the other birds and take what belongs to them, leading to serious consequences.
—Eric E. Harrison, Arkansas Online, 3 June 2026
However, Erickson had already awoken and confronted him with the gun to try to frighten him.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 1 June 2026
This war has been a disaster for them, frightening away foreign investors, tourists and talent and burdening them with a future of huge new defense bills to deter Iran after the United States is gone.
—Thomas L. Friedman, Mercury News, 15 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frighten
Verb
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City Council should refuse to be intimidated and not let Webb scare them from using it to help Chicago and its citizens.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
19 June 2026
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That's not a company that needs to scare off millions of loyal customers with a brutal price rise.—
Janhoi McGregor,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Verb
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The safety is what unlocks the willingness to be terrified, and the terror is where the thrill lives.—
Dr. Marcus Collins,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
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They were terrified of that song.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
18 June 2026
Verb
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While the cameras were rolling, Spielberg would stand just out of frame with two wooden bats, banging them together to startle her.—
Seija Rankin,
HollywoodReporter,
19 June 2026
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To his luck, the sound finally startled the bear and sent it running.—
Paloma Chavez,
PEOPLE,
18 June 2026
Verb
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Animal welfare activists have long said the carriage horses are overworked, can get easily spooked on city streets and live in inadequate stables while their drivers regularly flout city rules.—
Michael Casey,
Los Angeles Times,
19 June 2026
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Simply put, investors were spooked by Fed policymakers projecting a possible interest rate hike to combat stubborn inflation.—
Morgan Chittum,
CNBC,
19 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Frighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frighten. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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