terrify
verb
ter·ri·fy
ˈter-ə-ˌfī 
ˈte-rə-
terrified; terrifying
1
a
: to drive or impel by menacing : scare
b
: deter, intimidate
2
: to fill with terror
Synonyms
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
Calls to the Police The abuse left Nicole Simpson bruised and terrified on scores of occasions, but the police rarely took substantive action.
—
Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
In the meantime, many Palestinians, who are terrified about their own safety and their family's survival, are turning to themselves, their families, their communities and religion to get them through.
—Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
The military incursions have left children terrified and more dependent on UNRWA schools for psychological support, teachers and school principals said.
—Claire Parker, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
Samuels previously told Rolling Stone that the showrunner’s presence terrified her.
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2024
The Florida resident said the experience terrified his family, but was thankful there weren't any serious injuries.
—Megan Myers, Fox News, 3 Apr. 2024
Or perhaps my favorite scene,when Margarita turns into a witch, flying around an apartment building on a broomstick, terrifying the residents.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
Washington has long shouldered an unequal share of the military burden, especially on nuclear matters, to avoid a scenario in which countries such as Germany or Japan might destabilize their regions—and terrify their former victims—by building full-spectrum defense capabilities of their own.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 29 Mar. 2024
But the idea of borrowing more money without working to repay it terrified her.
—Qadri Inzamam Saumya Khandelwal, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
Robert D. McFadden, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
In the meantime, many Palestinians, who are terrified about their own safety and their family's survival, are turning to themselves, their families, their communities and religion to get them through.
—Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024
The military incursions have left children terrified and more dependent on UNRWA schools for psychological support, teachers and school principals said.
—Claire Parker, Washington Post, 8 Apr. 2024
Samuels previously told Rolling Stone that the showrunner’s presence terrified her.
—Kalia Richardson, Rolling Stone, 7 Apr. 2024
The Florida resident said the experience terrified his family, but was thankful there weren't any serious injuries.
—Megan Myers, Fox News, 3 Apr. 2024
Or perhaps my favorite scene,when Margarita turns into a witch, flying around an apartment building on a broomstick, terrifying the residents.
—Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
Washington has long shouldered an unequal share of the military burden, especially on nuclear matters, to avoid a scenario in which countries such as Germany or Japan might destabilize their regions—and terrify their former victims—by building full-spectrum defense capabilities of their own.
—Hal Brands, Foreign Affairs, 29 Mar. 2024
But the idea of borrowing more money without working to repay it terrified her.
—Qadri Inzamam Saumya Khandelwal, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'terrify.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near terrify
Cite this Entry
“Terrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrify. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
terrify
verb
ter·ri·fy
ˈter-ə-ˌfī
terrified; terrifying
: to fill with terror
terrifyingly
adverb
-ˌfī-iŋ-lē
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