scared
Americanadjective
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of scared
Explanation
Have you ever gone into a dark room and heard something scurrying across the floor and felt your pulse quicken and your heart race? You were scared — afraid. When you are scared, you are frightened or alarmed. It can be a momentary thing: hearing a car screech outside your house and worrying that your dog just got hit. It can be longer: you might be scared for weeks or months after a medical diagnosis. While the verb is usually associated with a single person or small group, you might also apply it more generally: a fast-moving tornado could have scared a whole town.
Vocabulary lists containing scared
Emotions on Display
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In the Mood? 100 Words to Describe Emotions
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Hooked on a Feeling, List 1
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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.
The defendant told the court that at that point he got scared for his life and for the life of his grandmother and her elderly female friend who they resided with.
From BBC • May 11, 2026
Police are investigating two recent home burglaries in Los Angeles in which the thieves were confronted by witnesses or scared off by home alarms.
From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026
“Right now, everyone is scared that next year there will be no more money left to earn,” said Yang Guolü, a hiring agent for local factories.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 11, 2026
This, Dr. Becky emphasizes, is the work: becoming that “sturdy pilot” who can let their passengers know: “I believe your intense feelings. I’m not scared of them.”
From Slate • May 10, 2026
His old tail started thumping the ground, then he opened his mouth and let out a bawl that scared the chickens out of the barn.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
