scare tactics

Also scare tac·tic

[skair tak-tiks]

plural noun

1. a strategy to get someone to comply or surrender by making them afraid.

   Scare tactics won't keep kids from using drugs, says this social worker.

   In this telemarketing scam, perpetrators use the threat of a computer meltdown as a scare tactic to get victims to send money.

Word History and Origins

Origin of scare tactics¹

First recorded in 1905–10