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
The weekend’s strike was, to Ukraine’s allies, a gruesome reminder of Moscow’s true intent in its invasion: to terrify Ukrainians into submission.
—
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 14 Apr. 2025
June tries to deescalate the situation by telling everyone that police are on their way to arrest Serena, which terrifies the new mom.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 8 Apr. 2025
Frances Bay Never forget how terrifying the late Frances Bay once made creamed corn seem.
—Drew MacKie, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025
The footage also featured glimpses at Glinda and Fiyero’s splashy wedding, those terrifying flying monkeys, as well as the iconic shot of Dorothy, the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion arriving in Oz and presenting themselves in front of the wonderful wizard.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 14 Apr. 2025
June tries to deescalate the situation by telling everyone that police are on their way to arrest Serena, which terrifies the new mom.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 8 Apr. 2025
Frances Bay Never forget how terrifying the late Frances Bay once made creamed corn seem.
—Drew MacKie, People.com, 8 Apr. 2025
The footage also featured glimpses at Glinda and Fiyero’s splashy wedding, those terrifying flying monkeys, as well as the iconic shot of Dorothy, the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion arriving in Oz and presenting themselves in front of the wonderful wizard.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrify
Verb
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The king of the forest was once frightened by the sound of a bull.—
John Nemec,
The Conversation,
7 Apr. 2025
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The prospect of returning to the role, first for a West End reprise in February and then for the Brooklyn performance frightened her.—
Alexis Soloski,
New York Times,
26 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In the beginning of the movie, Karsh goes on a date, but his grief scares the woman away.—
Kory Grow,
Rolling Stone,
26 Apr. 2025
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There were no players who really scared opposing defensive coordinators.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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That aural reminder punctuates my days now, and frequently startles me.—
Rob Mank,
Christian Science Monitor,
2 Apr. 2025
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But the website also has messages about residents being startled, as Catanzaro was, by stealthy contractors with air guns.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
21 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Terrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrify. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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