as in frightening
to strike with fear
thunderstorms have always scared her
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Recent Examples of scaring
In a story translated from Korean, a ghost aches with loneliness after scaring everyone away; in a story translated from Arabic, a midwife is called to aid with the birth of … something.
—
Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 20 Mar. 2026
Overbey was cautious, though, about not scaring parents.
—Emily Brindley
health Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
Lately, my anxiety has been keeping me up at night, scaring me away from windows, crowded places, public transportation and tall buildings, and causing excessive overthinking.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2026
Ten points to Gryffindor for Bree shooting and subsequently scaring the bear away.
—Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026
Effectively scaring a bear also reinforces the person as dominant in an encounter, so the bear learns to avoid people.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026
Among them is an allegation that Live Nation threatens to retaliate against venues that work with rivals, allegedly scaring those venues into complying.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 4 Mar. 2026
The growing conflict is also drawing concern on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, scaring away carriers that had sought to make a more regular return to the Suez Canal.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 2 Mar. 2026
Guadalajara will be hosting matches this summer, in what’s expected to be an economic boon for the state of Jalisco, and Sheinbaum will no doubt be wary of scaring off would-be tourists.
—Gonzalo Zegarra, CNN Money, 24 Feb. 2026
Erik Pedersen, Oc Register, 20 Mar. 2026
Overbey was cautious, though, about not scaring parents.
—Emily Brindley
health Reporter, Dallas Morning News, 19 Mar. 2026
Lately, my anxiety has been keeping me up at night, scaring me away from windows, crowded places, public transportation and tall buildings, and causing excessive overthinking.
—Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 18 Mar. 2026
Ten points to Gryffindor for Bree shooting and subsequently scaring the bear away.
—Lincee Ray, Entertainment Weekly, 13 Mar. 2026
Effectively scaring a bear also reinforces the person as dominant in an encounter, so the bear learns to avoid people.
—Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 11 Mar. 2026
Among them is an allegation that Live Nation threatens to retaliate against venues that work with rivals, allegedly scaring those venues into complying.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 4 Mar. 2026
The growing conflict is also drawing concern on the other side of the Arabian Peninsula, scaring away carriers that had sought to make a more regular return to the Suez Canal.
—Glenn Taylor, Sourcing Journal, 2 Mar. 2026
Guadalajara will be hosting matches this summer, in what’s expected to be an economic boon for the state of Jalisco, and Sheinbaum will no doubt be wary of scaring off would-be tourists.
—Gonzalo Zegarra, CNN Money, 24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scaring
Verb
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Clumsiness notwithstanding, bringing a criminal case against a journalist who was reporting on a protest is an authoritarian tactic—a means of frightening the press away from uncovering the truth.—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
30 Jan. 2026
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But monks there complained that the slain king was walking around at night, frightening them with strange sounds.—
Rivka Galchen,
New Yorker,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The air in the room changed immediately, terrifying little Liza.—
Elisabeth Garber-Paul,
Rolling Stone,
14 Mar. 2026
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Pic was written and directed by horror filmmaker Ian Tuason, and follows the host (Nina Kiri) of a popular paranormal podcast who becomes haunted by terrifying recordings mysteriously sent her way.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Trump is also expected to decry the Supreme Court ruling against his signature tariff policies and talk about his attempts to maneuver around that decision without depending on Congress or spooking financial markets.—
Will Weissert,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
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The president is also expected to decry the Supreme Court ruling against his signature tariff policies and talk about his attempts to maneuver around that decision without depending on Congress or spooking financial markets.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Hauge called that startling, given that court filing fees alone cost just as much.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
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Saturday, startling his sister.—
Andrew Ramos,
CBS News,
7 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scaring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scaring. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.
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