scare story

American

[skair stawr-ee] / ˈskɛər ˌstɔr i /

noun

a story or report, especially in a news source, that uses sensationalism to make a situation seem more dangerous or worrying than it is in reality.

Etymology

Origin of scare story

First recorded in 1895–1900

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.

This is not a scare story about Provincetown, whose Covid numbers have dropped as its Covid precautions have risen.

From New York Times • Aug. 11, 2021

So this is just a scare story, isn’t it?

From The Guardian • Nov. 5, 2019

He had no patience for the medical scare story or the fad diet.

From MSNBC • Oct. 14, 2014

But Nicola Sturgeon said this was a "scare story" and it was "insulting people's intelligence".

From BBC • Sep. 11, 2014

To have worked so hard, and then to have another paper come out with a "scare" story about Mr. Potter's return, was discouraging.

From Larry Dexter's Great Search or, The Hunt for the Missing Millionaire by Garis, Howard Roger

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023