terrify

verb

ter·​ri·​fy ˈter-ə-ˌfī 

ˈte-rə-

terrified; terrifying

transitive verb

1

a

: to drive or impel by menacing : scare

b

: deter, intimidate

2

: to fill with terror

Synonyms of terrify

• frighten
• scare
• startle

Examples of terrify in a Sentence

The thought of dying alone terrifies her.

the prospect of speaking in front of a huge crowd of people absolutely terrifies me

Recent Examples on the Web

In a case like the Davis stabbings that terrified a community, there might have been a public outcry if former Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisig hadn’t charged Dominguez with murder, Reichel said. — Sharon Bernstein, Sacbee.com, 27 July 2026

In the film, Cameron is terrified of his dad, but still lets Ferris convince him to drive his dad’s incredible car, a 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder. — Victoria Edel, PEOPLE, 22 July 2026

While some car companies have lobbied the government, terrified, asking to build protective walls to fend off cheap Chinese competition, others have looked at the problem from a different angle, trying to meet the moment. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 21 July 2026

That prospect terrifies Hamid, the relief worker who survived the drone strike. — Mat Nashed, Christian Science Monitor, 21 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin terrificare, from terrificus

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for terrify

• abscissae
• adonai
• alibi
• alkali
• alumni
• amoebae
• amplify
• annuli
• beautify
• brachii
• butterfly
• calculi

Kids Definition

terrify

verb

ter·​ri·​fy ˈter-ə-ˌfī 

terrified; terrifying

: to fill with terror

terrifyingly

-ˌfī-iŋ-lē

adverb