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night terrors

British

plural noun

a condition in which a person, usually a child, suddenly starts from sleep in a state of extreme fear but cannot later remember the incident

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

"Now I've started therapy and hopefully that will help the night terrors."

From BBC • May 11, 2026

Heck, hire a nutritionist…and then a therapist who can console you through the night terrors you still have about that time you almost shelled out $25,000 for a gym membership.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 2, 2026

Her night terrors are causing her to flunk out of college, and her roommate demands that she go home and get some answers so that she can get some sleep.

From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2025

It may intrude on everyday activity, thrusting a person into the middle of a horrifying event, or surface as night terrors or flashbacks.

From New York Times • Nov. 30, 2023

It’s like the visions in my night terrors, only this time come true.

From "Like Vanessa" by Tami Charles

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023