scare
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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a sudden fright or alarm, especially with little or no reason.
I recently had a scare when my computer seemed to be malfunctioning, but it turned out to be nothing.
-
a time or condition of alarm or worry.
During the anthrax scare, people were leery of opening envelopes from addresses they didn't recognize.
verb phrase
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scare away / off to frighten or alarm someone or something so much that they go away and stay away.
Business leaders felt the fuel tax would scare away consumers fearing higher electricity bills and rising gasoline costs.
The bee's sting isn't necessarily deadly, but it's painful enough to scare off predators.
-
scare up to obtain with effort; find or gather.
We want to renovate the kitchen, but first we'll need to scare up some money.
verb
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to fill or be filled with fear or alarm
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(tr; often foll by away or off) to drive (away) by frightening
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informal (tr) (foll by up)
-
to produce (a meal) quickly from whatever is available
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to manage to find (something) quickly or with difficulty
brewers need to scare up more sales
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noun
-
a sudden attack of fear or alarm
-
a period of general fear or alarm
adjective
Related Words
See frighten.
Other Word Forms
- scarer noun
- scaringly adverb
Etymology
Origin of scare
First recorded in 1150–1200; (for the verb) Middle English skerren, from Old Norse skirra “to frighten,” derivative of skjarr “timid, shy”; (for the noun) late Middle English skere, derivative of the verb
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.
They lowered the guns, but Cook was scared, a feeling that doesn’t come easy.
From Los Angeles Times
Firouzeh, a 43-year-old homemaker who declined to give her full name, said the recent tensions had left her "very worried and scared".
From Barron's
But she had to protect her two young children, scared by the explosions.
From BBC
Reigning world champion Luke Littler survived a major scare as he progressed to the second round of the World Masters in Milton Keynes.
From BBC
No, the kind of Raimi movie you’re getting here is irreverent, silly and very bloody: a character study that also features incredibly goofy scares.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
