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
May 9, 2024 Gary Usher, a songwriter who worked with Landy, told state investigators that Wilson was a virtual captive, manipulated by a man who frightened and intimidated him.
—
Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
Today, movies and TV intended for the biggest audience possible often water down their storytelling and generalize in order to avoid anything that might challenge, frighten or unsettle the audience.
—Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Something in the sheriff’s tone deeply aggravated and frightened the man behind the door.
—Louise Erdrich, New Yorker, 25 May 2025
Garcia, who joined DeSantis at the press conference, suggested people are frightened by them.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 11 June 2025
Today, movies and TV intended for the biggest audience possible often water down their storytelling and generalize in order to avoid anything that might challenge, frighten or unsettle the audience.
—Alissa Wilkinson, New York Times, 30 May 2025
Something in the sheriff’s tone deeply aggravated and frightened the man behind the door.
—Louise Erdrich, New Yorker, 25 May 2025
Garcia, who joined DeSantis at the press conference, suggested people are frightened by them.
—Martin E. Comas, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for frighten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for frighten
Verb
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The chemistry is real, but Nic scares me for Olandria.—
Julia Moore,
People.com,
27 June 2025
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The camper attempted to scare off the bear by banging pots and pans and screaming at the bear.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
27 June 2025
Verb
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Every manager, then, wanted a guy on his bench who was there for one reason only: to grab a bat, terrify the closer and obliterate a baseball.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
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Honeybun was terrified and shaking, but immediately so sweet and trusting of us.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 June 2025
Verb
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Driver hit a pole after cicada startled them The crash happened around 1:48 p.m. on June 11 in Blue Ash, a suburb of Cincinnati, according to a crash report obtained by USA TODAY.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
14 June 2025
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At one point, before anyone could intervene, the baby startled my dog, and my dog reacted by biting him.—
Harriette Cole,
Mercury News,
13 June 2025
Verb
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New York’s Democratic mayoral primary today has the city’s capital class spooked, as a 33-year-old socialist has caught former Gov. Andrew Cuomo in the polls.—
Rohan Goswami,
semafor.com,
24 June 2025
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While the markets may prefer a cut, what really spooks analysts and investors alike is when Trump’s pressure over the base rate bleeds into questions of tampering.—
Eleanor Pringle,
Fortune,
24 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Frighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/frighten. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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