as in to frighten
to strike with fear
thunderstorms have always scared her
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in fear
the emotion experienced in the presence or threat of danger
fired over their heads in order to throw a scare into them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scare
Charles Usher, Midwest Living, 26 May 2026
Visual scares, noise, and repellents work best when used as part of a layered approach.
—Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 24 May 2026
Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 27 May 2026
In addition to exploring their partnership (business and personal), the film provides a fascinating look at how the pair fit into — and dominated, for a time — an era of vintage Hollywood, including Ball's Communist scare court appearance and the birth of Desilu studio.
—Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for scare
Verb
Maybe the strait’s name—Death’s Door—scares them off.
—Charles Usher, Midwest Living, 26 May 2026
Visual scares, noise, and repellents work best when used as part of a layered approach.
—Gemma Johnstone, The Spruce, 24 May 2026
Noun
An astronaut suddenly couldn’t speak in space A health scare prompted the first-ever early return from the International Space Station for a medical reason.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 27 May 2026
In addition to exploring their partnership (business and personal), the film provides a fascinating look at how the pair fit into — and dominated, for a time — an era of vintage Hollywood, including Ball's Communist scare court appearance and the birth of Desilu studio.
—Debby Wolfinsohn, Entertainment Weekly, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for scare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scare
Verb
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But the future Hall of Famer is coming off ACL surgery, might lack mobility, and has a receiving corps that frightens nobody.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
15 May 2026
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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
Noun
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All of my rage and fear and wonder.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 June 2026
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The computing power needs, the competition from Anthropic, the potential for a more business-to-business stream of revenue, the fear that all of the big institutions that own it will want to cash out, makes this one plain fraught.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
31 May 2026
Verb
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It was made that much worse when several cast members laughed at her insincerity and Maddi Reese interrupted it several times because there was a stray cat nearby that terrified her.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
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Because quarterbacks were terrified to throw anywhere near him.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Noun
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Schizophrenia, bipolar, autism, anxiety, depression – all of these topics are almost global bestsellers.—
Jon LaPook,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
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While menopause is biological, many of the symptoms associated with it, including sleep disruption, anxiety, mood instability, brain fog, and fatigue, can also be amplified by chronic stress and nervous system overload.—
Meggen Harris,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
Verb
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The scale of what is emerging in China’s northwestern desert has left even seasoned analysts startled.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
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The spray of water should startle any squirrels, deer, or other wildlife trying to sneak fruit from your tree.—
Karen Brewer Grossman,
Southern Living,
28 May 2026
Noun
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The onboard camera, sending video back to the remote pilot in real time, captures his panic.—
David L. Stern,
Washington Post,
31 May 2026
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In the years following, Beijing funded or armed fellow communists in Vietnam, North Korea, Burma, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia, causing panic in Washington and other Western capitals as the ideological struggles of the Cold War rippled across Asia.—
Dhruv Tikekar,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scare. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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