petrify
Americanverb (used with object)
-
petrifies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
petrified,
past participle, past
-
petrifying
present participle
-
to convert into stone or a stony substance.
-
to benumb or paralyze with astonishment, horror, or other strong emotion.
I was petrified with fear.
- Synonyms:
- daze, dumbfound, immobilize
-
to make rigid or inert; harden; deaden.
The tragedy in his life petrified his emotions.
verb (used without object)
-
petrifies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
petrified,
past participle, past
-
petrifying
present participle
verb
-
(tr; often passive) to convert (organic material, esp plant material) into a fossilized form by impregnation with dissolved minerals so that the original appearance is preserved
-
to make or become dull, unresponsive, insensitive, etc; deaden
-
(tr; often passive) to stun or daze with horror, fear, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
petrifysimple
-
petrifiessimple
-
have petrifiedperfect
-
has petrifiedperfect
-
am petrifyingprogressive
-
are petrifyingprogressive
-
is petrifyingprogressive
-
have been petrifyingperfect progressive
-
has been petrifyingperfect progressive
Past
-
petrifiedsimple
-
had petrifiedperfect
-
was petrifyingprogressive
-
were petrifyingprogressive
-
had been petrifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of petrify
From the Middle French word petrifier, dating back to 1585–95. See petri-, -fy
Explanation
If you scare someone so much they can't move, you petrify them. Petrify is to make something like a stone or to literally turn to stone. At the heart of the word petrify is the Latin word petra which means "stone." In the scientific sense, wood petrifies in an environment without oxygen, say when it is buried by lava, and minerals such as silica enter the wood and fill the cells, making it hard as stone. More commonly, something petrifies a person or an animal when it scares them very much. During thunderstorms, the dog is so petrified that it hides under the bed. If you are in a store when it is being robbed, you might be petrified too.
Vocabulary lists containing petrify
Tyrannosaurus Lex(icon)
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
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Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
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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:
But the department’s letter was sent days ago without public comment, and its reported warning that the lottery may be illegal isn’t likely to petrify scofflaws such as Musk and Trump.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2024
Imperfect though “Romulus” may be, it’s also a solid entry in a slate of films whose original maker has taken the extended story seriously enough to petrify it.
From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2024
“But you’ve just got to stay ready whenever your opportunities come. They just come and go, so you’ve just got to stay ready for it you. Can’t really petrify yourself for the time being.”
From Seattle Times ● Dec. 21, 2023
This should petrify his colleagues — and the rest of the country, too.
From Washington Post ● Apr. 23, 2023
“When a storm was on I thought the whole roof was going to lift off, like in The Wizard of Oz. Used to petrify me.”
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
One can imagine how the thought of going to jail petrifies him.
From Salon ● May 10, 2024
It petrifies teachers who fear their students will use it instead of their brains for school papers.
From Seattle Times ● Feb. 6, 2023
As the resin petrifies and turns into amber, it preserves whatever gets stuck inside of it—including insects, slime molds and even pint-sized dinosaurs—in a gold-tinted time capsule.
From Scientific American ● Jan. 12, 2023
Every time Clifton Collins Jr. boards a flight midproduction, the possibility of the aircraft crashing petrifies him.
From New York Times ● Dec. 31, 2021
One of Iapetus’ sons, 25; daughters of, 98; heavens supported by, 227-229; Perseus petrifies, 244-246; significance, 379.
From Myths of Greece and Rome Narrated with Special Reference to Literature and Art by H. A. (H?l?ne Adeline) Guerber
“I kinda sorta put my acting career on hold the other day. It’s been something I’ve been petrified to do for years,” Krumholtz said in a post on Threads, per Deadline.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Meadows says their new team member's credentials "absolutely petrified" her and Painter initially.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
“I don’t think I’d be doing my job right if I wasn’t petrified every time I put a film out.”
From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026
She said some of these nurses were from overseas and were "absolutely petrified".
From BBC ● Jun. 10, 2026
“But surely,” said she, “I may enter his county with impunity, and rob it of a few petrified spars without his perceiving me.”
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
The reason I’m so fascinated with a subject I find petrifying is that math has become proof of how AI can warp an entire field—and how fast it can happen.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026
The self-infantilizing is disconcerting to watch, and no doubt petrifying to experience firsthand, but Gaga dodges the fan and gets into her waiting vehicle.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2025
"I didn't know what was going on. We didn't know whether he’d survived, it was so nerve wracking. It was the longest two hours of my life. It was awful; it was petrifying."
From BBC ● May 21, 2024
After proving that I would be a viable “Survivor” contestant, we went in search of the truly petrifying item on our list.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 14, 2023
It was there, hanging in open air—stentorian and petrifying in its effects.
From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
