run scared

Idioms and Phrases

Become intimidated or frightened. For example, The polls don't look too good for our candidate and he's running scared , or The shrinking market has many businesses running scared . [Mid-1900s]

Example Sentences

Mark McKinnon on why the GOP will win big—if they run scared.

From The Daily Beast

Later, he did not run scared like much of the press when Senator Joe McCarthy went on the rampage.

From The Daily Beast

Related Words

• anxious
• apprehensive
• discouraged
• distressed
• fearful
• frightened
• horrified
• intimidated
• nervous
• perplexed
• perturbed
• scared
• shocked
• spooked
• startled
• timid