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Origin of scare

First recorded in 1150–1200; (verb) Middle English skerren, from Old Norse skirra “to frighten”, derivative of skjarr “timid, shy”; (noun) late Middle English skere, derivative of the verb

synonym study for scare

1. See frighten.

OTHER WORDS FROM scare

scar·er, nounscar·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use scare in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for scare

scare
/ (skɛə) /

verb
to fill or be filled with fear or alarm
(tr; often foll by away or off) to drive (away) by frightening
(tr) US and Canadian informal (foll by up)
  1. to produce (a meal) quickly from whatever is available
  2. to manage to find (something) quickly or with difficultybrewers need to scare up more sales
noun
a sudden attack of fear or alarm
a period of general fear or alarm
adjective
causing (needless) fear or alarma scare story

Derived forms of scare

scarer, noun

Word Origin for scare

C12: from Old Norse skirra; related to Norwegian skjerra, Swedish dialect skjarra
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with scare

scare

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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