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
Letters came from readers angry and terrified about the possibility of being attacked by the creatures while walking their dogs.
—
Anita Gosch, Oc Register, 19 Jan. 2026
What should terrify Americans is how familiar this pattern feels.
—Chicago Tribune, 19 Jan. 2026
Rows sit silent at Karmel Mall as the immigration crackdown terrifies customers and workers, paralyzing the economic hub for Minneapolis’s largest Somali population.
—Sarah Raza, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
The Kardashians and other ring-light aristocracy passed around asymptomatic tests like hors d’oeuvres for parties while frontline clinicians — going toe-to-toe with the virus and terrified of turning their children into their next patients — were informed there simply weren’t tests to spare.
—Jennifer W. Tsai, STAT, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Anita Gosch, Oc Register, 19 Jan. 2026
What should terrify Americans is how familiar this pattern feels.
—Chicago Tribune, 19 Jan. 2026
Rows sit silent at Karmel Mall as the immigration crackdown terrifies customers and workers, paralyzing the economic hub for Minneapolis’s largest Somali population.
—Sarah Raza, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
The Kardashians and other ring-light aristocracy passed around asymptomatic tests like hors d’oeuvres for parties while frontline clinicians — going toe-to-toe with the virus and terrified of turning their children into their next patients — were informed there simply weren’t tests to spare.
—Jennifer W. Tsai, STAT, 18 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for terrify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrify
Verb
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Mariana, for example, wrote about children being frightened by school shootings.—
Kayla Huynh,
jsonline.com,
16 Jan. 2026
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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
Verb
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This being an aggravation of the previous injury could scare off even more potential suitors.—
Bryan Toporek,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
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But to enter the church, berate peaceful worshipers and scare children crosses a line.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
24 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
Cite this Entry
“Terrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrify. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.
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