as in to frighten
to strike with fear
the prospect of speaking in front of a huge crowd of people absolutely terrifies me
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Recent Examples of terrify
Myers nails the realistic teen who is a far cry from the unflappable Nancy Drew, screwing up plenty and often terrified of what she's gotten herself into.
—
Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
Vilnius resident Maryia Malevich said she was terrified when the alert sounded.
—ABC News, 20 May 2026
Vilnius residents sought shelter Vilnius resident Maryia Malevich said she was terrified when the alert sounded.
—Liudas Dapkus, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
While the evacuation ended safely, the video quickly sparked reactions online from viewers who said they would have been terrified about climbing down from that height.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 22 May 2026
Vilnius resident Maryia Malevich said she was terrified when the alert sounded.
—ABC News, 20 May 2026
Vilnius residents sought shelter Vilnius resident Maryia Malevich said she was terrified when the alert sounded.
—Liudas Dapkus, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
While the evacuation ended safely, the video quickly sparked reactions online from viewers who said they would have been terrified about climbing down from that height.
—Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 19 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrify
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
Verb
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Stop using implausible scenarios to scare young people and the gullible with claims about global catastrophe due to future global temperature increases.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
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Sizable jury verdicts scare entities into expensive settlements, which raises the risk pool’s reinsurance costs and trickles down to members.—
Daniel Lempres,
Sacbee.com,
29 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
Cite this Entry
“Terrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrify. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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