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
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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)
-
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
-
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:
Hansi Flick's side remain interested in Alvarez, but fear Atletico's stance isn't purely posturing and have started to consider alternative options, including Arsenal's Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
"Volunteers, health workers, and humanitarian staff must be able to carry out their work in complete safety, without fear of violence, intimidation, or threats."
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
Once the fear wears off and the road becomes home, the group develops its own rituals and routines, but maintains its connection to what came before all this, however fleeting it may be.
From Salon ● Aug. 24, 2026
“It’s a managed-risk situation where you give yourself some element of fear and uncertainty, and then conquer it.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
No, not just afraid but ripped with fear, and it was on the doe.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
"Fear dominates everything. We are completely defenceless," he said.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
“They’ve watched me in ‘F1,’ and Leo is watching ‘Cape Fear.’
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Find insight on Oracle, bitcoin, CoinMarketCap’s “Crypto Fear and Greed Index” and more in the latest Market Talks covering technology, media and telecom.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026
Fear makes traders unable to cut a loss.
From MarketWatch ● May 26, 2026
Fear gripped her as she crept to his side, put her hand to his lips.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
Between fishing outings and poker games, veteran finance pros shared their fears about the artificial intelligence trade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The plaintiffs’ fears turned out to be well-founded.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
It is part of a push by President Emmanuel Macron for children to spend less time in front of screens, which the government fears is arresting their development.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
Surging memory prices and borrowing costs have fueled fears that those and other companies will be unable to keep plowing more money into supplies including Nvidia chips.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
She unpacks feelings and fears and what it means to be a good friend.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
Nadezhdin has since left Russia, saying he feared jail time.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
But those objections weren’t enough, and “we all feared that the Planning Department was on the verge of possibly approving the process ministerially.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
When he woke up after his crash, Mark was terrified his "life was over" and feared he would be reliant on his parents for the rest of his life.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Yestin Duran, a 31-year-old beverage vendor, said she feared that "gangsters and robbers can cross over" more easily from Brazil.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
Now, they were rich; but they feared they had no ability to preserve their wealth.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
Another factor, according to a former Navy operations officer, is that some of the usual local vendors, especially of fresh food, cut back their supplies, fearing that they too would be attacked by Iran.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
Many residents spent the night sleeping on the street, fearing more deadly aftershocks or because their homes had sustained damage.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Just a few years ago, banks couldn’t get away from commercial real-estate loans fast enough, fearing potential losses as office vacancy rates remained elevated after the pandemic.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Musk said his "philosophical conclusion" after fearing for AI's threat to humanity was to "look on the bright side".
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
As the coffin was lowered into the ground, the minister recited the psalm about lying down in green pastures and walking through the shadow of the valley of death and fearing no evil.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
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.
