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.
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fear
1 American
[feer]
/ fɪər /
noun
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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
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a specific instance of or propensity for such a feeling.
an abnormal fear of heights.
- Antonyms:
- predilection, penchant, fondness, liking
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concern or anxiety; solicitude.
a fear for someone's safety.
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reverential awe, especially toward God.
the fear of God.
- Synonyms:
- veneration, reverence, respect, awe
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something that causes feelings of dread or apprehension; something a person is afraid of.
Cancer is a common fear.
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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)
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fears,
present (3rd person singular)
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feared,
past participle, past
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fearing
present participle
-
to regard with fear; be afraid of.
-
to have reverential awe of.
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to consider or anticipate (something unpleasant) with a feeling of dread or alarm.
It's about to snow again, I fear.
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Archaic. to experience fear in (oneself).
I fear me he will ne'er forgive us.
verb (used without object)
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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!
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to feel apprehensive or uneasy (usually followed byfor ).
In this time of economic instability, I fear for my children's future.
idioms
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for fear of / that, in order to prevent or avoid the risk of.
She is afraid to say anything for fear of the consequences.
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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
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a cause of this feeling
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awe; reverence
fear of God
-
concern; anxiety
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possibility; chance
there is no fear of that happening
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to forestall or avoid
-
certainly not
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to frighten
verb
-
to be afraid (to do something) or of (a person or thing); dread
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(tr) to revere; respect
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(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
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to feel anxiety about something
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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
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fearernoun
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fearlessnessnoun
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fearlessadjective
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self-fearingadjective
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unfearingadjective
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fearlesslyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fearsimple
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fearssimple
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have fearedperfect
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has fearedperfect
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am fearingprogressive
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are fearingprogressive
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is fearingprogressive
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have been fearingperfect progressive
-
has been fearingperfect progressive
Past
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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:
More broadly, the study challenges the idea that human language can be understood primarily through emotions such as happiness, fear, and excitement.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026
But some in the industry are concerned about how people were told about the critical vulnerabilities in PHP, as they fear improvements in AI will throw up more incidents like it.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
That fear is partially what “Paralyzed by Hope” seeks to scrutinize and change.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
“Meanwhile, the Kerman Food Bank and other local organizations are experiencing food shortages as families face fear and uncertainty caused by recent immigration enforcement actions,” Pacheco wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
The fear wiggles away, and I relax a little.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Fear of saying the wrong thing or intruding at a sensitive time can leave people worried about getting it wrong and avoiding reaching out altogether.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
Actually, the nice people at Yamaha Motor Corporation USA brought me one last month to test around Holden Beach, near Cape Fear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
The key takeaway from the Retirement Fear Index, said Conti, is that pre-retirees and retirees need to identify their fears and then take steps to address them.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
“They’ve watched me in ‘F1,’ and Leo is watching ‘Cape Fear.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Fear formed a hollow place in his chest.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
Traders making bullish bets on chip stocks are getting walloped this month, as renewed fears have emerged about investment returns on the buildout of artificial intelligence.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
It comes amid growing fears of suspicious activity in UK waters, and concerns that legal powers over the network have not kept pace with its growing importance to national security.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
SAP’s third-quarter cloud revenue rose 25% in constant currencies to $7.49 billion, beating analyst estimates and offering some reassurance after fears of a so-called SaaSpocalypse, Bloomberg reports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
Stock market sentiment is sensitive to AI spending fears which have returned on Thursday, with chip stocks falling across the board.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026
The light and warmth and the Count’s courteous welcome seemed to have dissipated all my doubts and fears.
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
The decision to hold France’s credit rating could ease pressure on borrowing costs by reassuring investors that the country’s fiscal outlook hasn’t deteriorated as much as feared.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Authorities feared Ravatomanga might disappear "like Carlos Ghosn", said one investigator, referring to the fugitive former Renault-Nissan chief.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
The cucuys are driven by being feared, but not understood.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026
A journey to Mars may be less challenging for the human heart than scientists once feared.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 21, 2026
Duane was not keen on returning home the same way as he came because he feared that there would be more hellos to contend with from the hills.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
That night, he slept badly, fearing the FSB would soon haul him in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
As Green looks out over the "beautiful, remote and tranquil" landscape, he is fearing for the future.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
At times, pilots have panicked, fearing they were running out of runway, and braked too hard, causing accidents.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
Some have already taken the project to court, fearing their land rights will not be respected, while environmental organisations including Greenpeace argues the refinery "threatens to damage one of East Africa's most fragile coastal ecosystems".
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
Will found himself hating and fearing her more than any human being he had ever known.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
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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.
