as in frightens
to strike with fear
thunderstorms have always scared her
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of scares
Gather five of the most relevant comedians working today and ask what scares them most, and the answers vary.
—
Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026
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
But 24 scares me, particularly jumping from 12 to 24.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Speak on the client call that scares you, draft the first version of a client press release or share ideas on internal calls before you're asked.
—Heather Kelly, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
While at the 2026 Fox Upfront at the New York City Center on Monday, May 11, Knoxville, 55, gave a heartfelt answer about what scares him the most.
—Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026
That's what scares people who spoke with CBS News Baltimore.
—Ashley Paul, CBS News, 5 May 2026
The lobby is where the elderly owner scares children with tales of a witch who once haunted these grounds.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 2026
Lacey Rose, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026
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
But 24 scares me, particularly jumping from 12 to 24.
—Seth Emerson, New York Times, 21 May 2026
Speak on the client call that scares you, draft the first version of a client press release or share ideas on internal calls before you're asked.
—Heather Kelly, Forbes.com, 18 May 2026
While at the 2026 Fox Upfront at the New York City Center on Monday, May 11, Knoxville, 55, gave a heartfelt answer about what scares him the most.
—Lexi Lane, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026
That's what scares people who spoke with CBS News Baltimore.
—Ashley Paul, CBS News, 5 May 2026
The lobby is where the elderly owner scares children with tales of a witch who once haunted these grounds.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scares
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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The piercing sunlight frightens her.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Frankly, the thought of being beaten by the subscribers terrifies me.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Aubry Bracco is the kind of player who terrifies a certain (male) demographic of Survivor alumni.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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If hypotheticals about what could have been are a good dream for New York Knicks fans, then Mikal Bridges is the alarm clock that startles them awake.—
James L. Edwards III,
New York Times,
2 Mar. 2026
-
The project, which Steinberger has rebranded multiple times—evolving from Clawdbot to Moltbot and finally to OpenClaw—largely owing to politics—has expanded at a pace that startles even seasoned AI experts.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
19 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Scares.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scares. Accessed 8 Jun. 2026.
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