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
What you tell me of Perry petrifies me; it is a rank imposition.
From Life of Lord Byron, Vol. 3 With His Letters and Journals by Thomas Moore
“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
The Love Island star and campaigner said Bear's online presence left her "feeling petrified" and she feared for her safety, in a statement read to Chelmsford Crown Court.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Dramatizations of the several lives studied put figurative flesh on the petrified bodies of the volcano victims, and those who escaped such a fate.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 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
A cluster of red sparks hissed through the swinging kitchen door, kissed the ceiling, and rained a shimmering shower down and around the petrified hostess.
From "The Westing Game" by Ellen Raskin
Both Rooney and Kate are keenly aware of how petrifying it can be to be perceived, and how galvanizing it can be as well, and they bring both senses to their shared performance.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
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
McFadden has remained inside her Dubai hotel since the weekend and described the situation as "petrifying".
From BBC ● Mar. 3, 2026
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 an eardrum-piercing, bloodcurdling nightmare of a scream, petrifying enough to make even a Swanburne girl forget all her antipanicking skills.
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
