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
Peter D'oench, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
But to enter the church, berate peaceful worshipers and scare children crosses a line.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Johnny C. Taylor Jr, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026
Chuck Rocha, a Democratic political strategist, said Republicans seized on the abolitionist rhetoric as a scare tactic to distract from the rising cost of living, which remains another top voter concern.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scare
Verb
Those few words were enough to scare the life out of me.
—Peter D'oench, CBS News, 22 Jan. 2026
But to enter the church, berate peaceful worshipers and scare children crosses a line.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026
Noun
My coworker tells me every detail about their personal problems ‒ family drama, health scares, relationship issues.
—Johnny C. Taylor Jr, USA Today, 20 Jan. 2026
Chuck Rocha, a Democratic political strategist, said Republicans seized on the abolitionist rhetoric as a scare tactic to distract from the rising cost of living, which remains another top voter concern.
—Andrea Castillo, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for scare
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scare
Verb
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Mariana, for example, wrote about children being frightened by school shootings.—
Kayla Huynh,
jsonline.com,
16 Jan. 2026
-
While some passengers were said to have been frightened and crying, witnesses to the crash didn’t immediately believe there were any serious injuries.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The construction plans have generally raised fears that the London complex could serve as a Beijing intelligence hub.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
14 Jan. 2026
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Several Venezuela residents told TIME that the fear of what might be discovered on their phone at a checkpoint has guided their behavior in the days since Maduro's ouster.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Anyone with a fear of heights should be terrified.—
Susan Shelley,
Daily News,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Daniel Kaluuya stars as a Black photographer visiting his white girlfriend's parents and is terrified to discover the truly insidious reason for his invitation.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Somehow, this new sensation emitted an awareness of the magnitude in which skateboarding would warp my life, which only ratcheted up the anxiety of blowing it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The news this week that an ICE agent had shot and killed a woman in Minnesota heightened his anxiety.—
Andrea Castillo,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The exchange startled Loftus, who this month shared the correspondence with the Orlando Sentinel.—
Jeffrey Schweers,
The Orlando Sentinel,
22 Jan. 2026
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YouTube’s growth as a competitor to traditional television has startled the industry in recent years.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Witnesses described scenes of panic as flames spread rapidly through the basement level before engulfing the upper floor.—
Moná Thomas,
PEOPLE,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Kaitlin spent the first weeks of her newborn son’s life in a panic.—
Lucas Waldron,
ProPublica,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scare.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scare. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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