for fear of

Idioms  

1. Also, for fear that. In order to avoid or prevent, in case of. For example, They closed all the windows for fear of rain. The variant is always used before a clause, as in She wouldn't let her children climb trees for fear that they would fall. The first term dates from the late 1400s, the second from about 1600.

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

for fear of

Top officials don’t lean on their wives for fear of showing any signs of frailty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

Nor do you want to alienate anyone for fear of it somehow affecting your child.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

US software companies working with the refinery, such as Microsoft and Honeywell, had already announced their withdrawal for fear of sanctions, Ruthenberg said.

From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026

When it comes to your actual budget, that figure is probably a lot lower, because people tend to be conservative with their spending for fear of running out of money.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

Although my parents were unhappy about the arrangement, they didn't dare question it for fear of retaliation by those in charge.

From "The Boy on the Wooden Box" by Leon Leyson