scare

[ skair ]

/ skɛər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scare ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), scared, scar·ing.

to fill, especially suddenly, with fear or terror; frighten; alarm.

verb (used without object), scared, scar·ing.

to become frightened: That horse scares easily.

noun

a sudden fright or alarm, especially with little or no reason.

a time or condition of alarm or worry: For three months there was a war scare.

Verb Phrases

scare up, Informal. to obtain with effort; find or gather: to scare up money.

Nearby words

scarce as hen's teeth, scarcely, scarcely ever, scarcement, scarcity, scare, scare out of one's wits, scare quotes, scare up, scarecrow, scaredy-cat

Origin of scare

1150–1200; (v.) Middle English skerren < Old Norse skirra to frighten, derivative of skjarr timid, shy; (noun) late Middle English skere, derivative of the v.

SYNONYMS FOR scare

1 startle, intimidate. See frighten.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR scare ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

scar·er, nounscar·ing·ly, adverbun·scared, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for scaring

At first, she thought he was just joking around, but soon, Mulvehill was scaring her, according to the report.
School Shooters Love This Pickup Artist Website|Brandy Zadrozny|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Scaring voters, whether about ISIS or Ebola, is good for the GOP.
Ebola Scare-Mongerer Rand Paul Wants You to Think You’re Going to Die|Sally Kohn|October 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Both insisted Goldwater was scaring away the swing voters Republicans needed with his unyielding conservatism.
Barry Goldwater, Father of the Tea Party|Nicolaus Mills|July 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We were all born to tell the stories of our lives; the problem lies in scaring up an audience.
Comedy Is His Calling: The Brilliance of Billy Crystal|Tom Shales|April 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Talk show host extraordinaire Ellen DeGeneres is known for her love of scaring her guests and staff.
Ellen’s Haunted House, Panda Cubs, and More Viral Videos|Julian E. Wright|November 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Immediately the larger and fiercer dogs fell upon the food, crowding or scaring the smaller curs away from it.
Buff: A Collie and other dog-stories|Albert Payson Terhune
The blood gushed from her nose and mouth, scaring her companion, who thought she was bleeding to death.
Satan's Invisible World Displayed or, Despairing Democracy|W. T. Stead
They crossed the bog at full speed, scaring a silent heron, who was fishing knee-deep in a pool, almost out of his wits.
Lives of the Fur Folk|M. D. Haviland
And Arnold chuckled again, but gently, for fear of scaring the alligator.
Motor Matt's Triumph, or, Three Speeds Forward|Stanley R. Matthews
But you did a good service in scaring this Mexican away, as you did the chap with the ox cart, spoke Ned.
The Motor Boys Across the Plains|Clarence Young

British Dictionary definitions for scaring

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)

to produce (a meal) quickly from whatever is available
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

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

Idioms and Phrases with scaring

scare

In addition to the idioms beginning with scare

scare out of one's wits
scare up

also see:

run scared

scare

verb (used with object), scared, scar·ing.

verb (used without object), scared, scar·ing.

noun

Verb Phrases

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of scare

SYNONYMS FOR scare

Related forms

Examples from the Web for scaring

British Dictionary definitions for scaring

scare

verb

noun

adjective

Derived Forms

Word Origin for scare

Idioms and Phrases with scaring

scare