as in to frighten
to strike with fear
thunderstorms have always scared her
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of scare
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
The van reaches home ground and no one talks and the only sound along that final stretch is El Camello slapping himself to scare away mosquitoes.
—Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Fortunately for that scare actor, flight, not flight, kicked in for Jones’ 300 pounds of NFL muscle.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scare
Verb
Similarly, in central Gifu prefecture, the government is experimenting with drones that play the sound of dogs barking and fireworks, in a bid to scare bears away.
—Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 7 Nov. 2025
The van reaches home ground and no one talks and the only sound along that final stretch is El Camello slapping himself to scare away mosquitoes.
—Literary Hub, 7 Nov. 2025
Noun
Stine keeps his scares fantastical.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
Fortunately for that scare actor, flight, not flight, kicked in for Jones’ 300 pounds of NFL muscle.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for scare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scare
Verb
-
These political executions are a callous attempt by the authorities to frighten and silence an increasingly restive population no longer willing to accept their corrupt and oppressive rule.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Tens of millions of dollars have been spent to redefine reality and to convince our neighbors that this new age is something that should frighten them.—
TIME Video,
Time,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Cotton argued the shutdown’s cause was not the expiring health care subsidies, but rather Democrats’ fear of blowback from their supporters.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Iran is facing its worst drought in decades, raising fears of evacuations in Tehran while threatening the regime’s stability and nuclear ambitions, according to a leading environmental expert.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Everyone was terrified of Friedkin.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Trump is terrified of the midterms, of Republicans losing control of the House or the Senate or both.—
Chris Brennan,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The attendees—thirty- and forty-somethings who are members of the bank’s Private Wealth Management (PWM) division, which boasts an average account size of over $75 million—gathered to hash out their anxiety and excitement.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
9 Nov. 2025
-
Barton will have to wait another month to receive his sentence for the six guilty counts the jury returned on charges of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety to football broadcasters Eni Aluko and Lucy Ward, and TV and radio host Jeremy Vine.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
His ability to perceive her internal struggles startled the standup.—
Erin Jensen,
USA Today,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The boy looked up mid-sob, startled.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
The shooting occurred outside a Safeway location near Golden Gate Park, sending bystanders into panic.—
Adeola Adeosun,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Even if climate change does not trigger a full-fledged economic panic, whole regions will be thinned out and impoverished.—
Vann R. Newkirk II,
The Atlantic,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scare. Accessed 28 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share