fear
noun
a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
fear
1 American
[feer]
/ fɪər /
noun
-
fears
plural
-
a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
- Synonyms:
- qualm, trepidation, horror, panic, fright, terror, dread, dismay, consternation, apprehension, foreboding
- Antonyms:
- intrepidity, calm, security, courage
-
a specific instance of or propensity for such a feeling.
an abnormal fear of heights.
- Antonyms:
- predilection, penchant, fondness, liking
-
concern or anxiety; solicitude.
a fear for someone's safety.
-
reverential awe, especially toward God.
the fear of God.
- Synonyms:
- veneration, reverence, respect, awe
-
something that causes feelings of dread or apprehension; something a person is afraid of.
Cancer is a common fear.
-
anticipation of the possibility that something unpleasant will occur.
Having grown up during the Great Depression, he had a constant fear of running out of money.
verb (used with object)
-
fears,
present (3rd person singular)
-
feared,
past participle, past
-
fearing
present participle
-
to regard with fear; be afraid of.
-
to have reverential awe of.
-
to consider or anticipate (something unpleasant) with a feeling of dread or alarm.
It's about to snow again, I fear.
-
Archaic. to experience fear in (oneself).
I fear me he will ne'er forgive us.
verb (used without object)
-
fears,
present (3rd person singular)
-
feared,
past participle, past
-
fearing
present participle
-
to have fear; be afraid.
I'll go with you, so do not fear!
-
to feel apprehensive or uneasy (usually followed byfor ).
In this time of economic instability, I fear for my children's future.
idioms
-
for fear of / that, in order to prevent or avoid the risk of.
She is afraid to say anything for fear of the consequences.
-
put the fear of God in / into, to cause to be greatly afraid.
Fear
2
American
[feer]
/ fɪər /
noun
-
a river in SE North Carolina. 202 miles (325 km) long.
-
Cape, a cape at its mouth.
fear
British
/ fɪə /
noun
-
a feeling of distress, apprehension, or alarm caused by impending danger, pain, etc
-
a cause of this feeling
-
awe; reverence
fear of God
-
concern; anxiety
-
possibility; chance
there is no fear of that happening
-
to forestall or avoid
-
certainly not
-
to frighten
verb
-
to be afraid (to do something) or of (a person or thing); dread
-
(tr) to revere; respect
-
(tr; takes a clause as object) to be sorry: used to lessen the effect of an unpleasant statement
I fear that you have not won
-
to feel anxiety about something
-
an archaic word for frighten
fear
More Idioms
Synonym Usage
Fear, alarm, dread all imply a painful emotion experienced when one is confronted by threatening danger or evil. Alarm implies an agitation of the feelings caused by awakening to imminent danger; it names a feeling of fright or panic: He started up in alarm. Fear and dread usually refer more to a condition or state than to an event. Fear is often applied to an attitude toward something, which, when experienced, will cause the sensation of fright: fear of falling. Dread suggests anticipation of something, usually a particular event, which, when experienced, will be disagreeable rather than frightening: She lives in dread of losing her money. The same is often true of fear, when used in a negative statement: She has no fear of losing her money.
Pop Culture
— Fear and Trembling: A philosophical exploration of faith and ethics by Sören Kierkegaard. Published in 1843 under the pseudonym Johannes de Silentio. — Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream: A roman à clef by gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, illustrated by Ralph Steadman. First printed in 1971 as a two-part series in Rolling Stone magazine, and as a novel in 1972. — Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A film adaptation of the Hunter S. Thompson book, directed by Terry Gilliam. Released in 1998. — The Culture of Fear: Why Americans Are Afraid of the Wrong Things: 1999 book by sociologist Barry Glassner, examining why Americans' fears are misplaced and exaggerated. Revised and updated in 2010. — Fear Factor: An American reality game show (2001–2006) in which contestants had to complete a series of dangerous, disgusting, or otherwise fear-inducing stunts. —No FEAR Act: The Notification and Federal Employee Antidiscrimination and Retaliation Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–174). The act, signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2002, increases Federal agency accountability for acts of discrimination or reprisal against employees.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
fearernoun
-
fearlessnessnoun
-
fearlessadjective
-
self-fearingadjective
-
unfearingadjective
-
fearlesslyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
fearsimple
-
fearssimple
-
have fearedperfect
-
has fearedperfect
-
am fearingprogressive
-
are fearingprogressive
-
is fearingprogressive
-
have been fearingperfect progressive
-
has been fearingperfect progressive
Past
-
fearedsimple
-
had fearedperfect
-
was fearingprogressive
-
were fearingprogressive
-
had been fearingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fear
First recorded before 900; Middle English fere, Old English fær “sudden attack or danger”; cognate with Old Saxon fār “ambush,” Dutch gevaar, German Gefahr “danger,” Old Norse fār “disaster”
Explanation
Does the sight of a snake fill you with panic and the desire to run away as quickly as possible? If so, you have a fear of snakes. People have fear for many things: bugs, guns, heights, etc. Horror movies try to fill the audience with fear. Some fears make more sense than others. The fear of jumping out of planes makes a lot of sense, but the fear of public speaking isn't as logical: it won't kill you. Fear includes anxiety and can be very emotionally painful. If you're scared of anything, you know what fear is all about.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Increasingly, Palestinian residents of Sebastia fear that their close connection with the ruins is in danger of being lost.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
It came down to something we mentioned a few weeks ago: fear of the alternative.
From Slate ● Aug. 8, 2026
Arab mediators fear Iranian negotiators lack the clout to guarantee compliance with a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
“I’m surprised to see the fear that governments and society have regarding migration today. It’s one of the best things that can happen to a culture,” Eimbcke says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
So of course Mutti and I began to fear the worst for Papi.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
“They’ve watched me in ‘F1,’ and Leo is watching ‘Cape Fear.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Fear that Social Security benefits might be reduced is not, by itself, an empirical reason to claim benefits early, although it is certainly a valid theory.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Nathan Fear, Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for CPS Wales said it had been the biggest investigation of its kind in Wales.
From BBC ● Jun. 19, 2026
Two-time Oscar winner Adrien Brody made his Broadway debut in “The Fear of 13,” reprising his acclaimed Olivier-nominated London performance.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
Fear, uncertainty, and one-upmanship became key ingredients of this new approach to warfare.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
The case has caused consternation in one of Africa's most robust democracies, with fears the country's military is significantly overreaching its mandate.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
The S&P 500 closed at a record after the weak jobs report eased investors’ fears of an interest-rate hike in September.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
And on Thursday, Sweetgreen announced a lowered outlook for the year, citing dwindling sales resulting from consumer fears over cyclospora even though it doesn’t serve iceberg lettuce.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 2026
From there, Cassidy moved to mollify his own fears.
From Slate ● Aug. 7, 2026
“But this country fears you,” he tells me.
From "King and the Dragonflies" by Kacen Callender
But he feared his pursuit of it could cost him his life.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
Ditto, the stock market, despite those feared corrections and recessions.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026
Because the microbes favor fresh marine material, older carbon from thawing permafrost may contribute less to atmospheric greenhouse gas levels than scientists once feared.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 3, 2026
Savannah looked out the airplane window as she passed over the desert expanse, where she feared her mother had been abandoned without ceremony or her family’s prayers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Throughout history, leprosy has been one of the most misunderstood, feared, and reviled diseases in the world.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Employers sometimes err on the side of caution, fearing lawsuits, and try to avoid terminating anyone on a job-protected leave.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Power and water outages have affected tens of thousands of buildings, leaving residents sweltering and thirsty, and fearing yet another repeat of the quake that struck 10 years ago.
From Barron's ● Jul. 30, 2026
Bangladesh's fugitive ex-premier Sheikh Hasina told AFP she was determined to return to her country by December despite fearing for her life.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
The Department of Homeland Security said the officer opened fire after "fearing for public safety".
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
It seems strange, to think of Mirjam talking about a boy while she was in hiding, mourning her family and fearing for her life.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
