a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
a specific instance of or propensity for such a feeling.
an abnormal fear of heights.
concern or anxiety; solicitude.
a fear for someone's safety.
reverential awe, especially toward God.
the fear of God.
something that causes feelings of dread or apprehension; something a person is afraid of.
Cancer is a common fear.
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.
to regard with fear; be afraid of.
to have reverential awe of.
to consider or anticipate (something unpleasant) with a feeling of dread or alarm.
It's about to snow again, I fear.
Archaic. to experience fear in (oneself).
I fear me he will ne'er forgive us.
to have fear; be afraid.
I'll go with you, so do not fear!
to feel apprehensive or uneasy (usually followed byfor ).
In this time of economic instability, I fear for my children's future.
for fear of / that, in order to prevent or avoid the risk of.
She is afraid to say anything for fear of the consequences.
put the fear of God in / into, to cause to be greatly afraid.
a river in SE North Carolina. 202 miles (325 km) long.
Cape, a cape at its mouth.
a feeling of distress, apprehension, or alarm caused by impending danger, pain, etc
a cause of this feeling
awe; reverence
fear of God
concern; anxiety
possibility; chance
there is no fear of that happening
to forestall or avoid
certainly not
to frighten
to be afraid (to do something) or of (a person or thing); dread
(tr) to revere; respect
(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
to feel anxiety about something
an archaic word for frighten
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.
— 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.
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”
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.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
First, there is the fear of new competition, brought into focus by the initial public offering of a Chinese memory-chip maker, ChangXin Memory Technologies, in Shanghai this week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The fear in the market is that the pullback simply reflects more investors looking to call the top on the artificial-intelligence trade.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Now they fear that AI technology - which China is pouring billions of dollars into - is providing simple, accessible tools that can be used to trick the public.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
They fear that any strings attached to the public money will make many private schools balk at taking it.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
“It’s not everyone’s fear I’m avoiding. It’s their disgust.”
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
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 of higher interest rates is not a good reason to avoid investment-grade bonds.
From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026
Fear has gripped Ebola-hit areas in eastern DR Congo as the suspected number of deaths continues to rise.
From BBC ● May 22, 2026
Fear doesn’t always go away with a comfortable, well-executed retirement plan.
From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026
Fear raced through him as he scrambled after the flashlight, which had rolled to the inner edge of the trunk.
From "Shooting Kabul" by N. H. Senzai
Leising fears the sea lions -- one of California's signature animals -- could soon suffer.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Despite fears of a crackdown, shared by many students' parents, Poorva believes the protests have given young people newfound confidence.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Monday’s sharp selloff reflects easing fears of a broadening conflict after two weeks of strikes, but key risks remain, according to market watchers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Recent advances by Chinese developers of open models also have stoked fears of cyber and biological risks from those models, which are inexpensive and widely available.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
I was transported in thought to the scenes of childhood: I dreamt I lay in the red-room at Gateshead; that the night was dark, and my mind impressed with strange fears.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
“So that concern hasn’t exactly played out the way that people feared it might.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
Raquel Cano, owner of Madrid's Casa Parrondo restaurant, said he feared the fires would deal a blow to tourism.
From Barron's ● Jul. 26, 2026
He said he feared the more time passes from the fires, the higher chance people will start to forget the building.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Investors perhaps feared a worse update to the outlook, and IBM shares were up 3% in the extended session following the latest update.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026
If anything was more feared than an Eye, it was the Eye’s weapon—the source of the knight’s power, cursed to destroy anyone who touched it other than the knight himself.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
The Department of Homeland Security said the officer opened fire after "fearing for public safety".
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Van der Velden says the company is also collaborating with Hollywood directors and producers who have asked not to be identified publicly, fearing backlash.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026
The bill actually failed on the first attempt to pass it, owing to state lawmakers fearing that it might hinder municipal efforts to prevent flood-related property damage and harm to residents.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
The European Union has ramped up efforts to make the bloc's businesses better compete with US and Chinese rivals, fearing they will fall further behind.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
It was a secret place I had never dared to enter, fearing I might get lost.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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.
