terrify
[ ter-uh-fahy ]
/ ˈtɛr əˌfaɪ /
verb (used with object), ter·ri·fied, ter·ri·fy·ing.
to fill with terror or alarm; make greatly afraid. QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…
Origin of terrify
1565–75; <Latin
terrificāre, equivalent to
terr(
ēre) to frighten +
-ificāre-ifysynonym study for terrify
OTHER WORDS FROM terrify
ter·ri·fi·er, nounter·ri·fy·ing·ly, adverbun·ter·ri·fied, adjectiveun·ter·ri·fy·ing, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Words related to terrify
alarm,
appall,
awe,
dismay,
frighten,
horrify,
intimidate,
petrify,
shock,
startle,
stun,
terrorize,
chill,
freeze,
fright,
paralyze,
spook,
stupefy How to use terrify in a sentence
The Nets went from interesting to terrifying on offense with the addition of Harden.
Bunch, 28, had no contact with any Tyson workers and, terrified of getting sick, had obsessively Googled information about the virus.
America’s favorite bully was a born entertainer who would pop into character at the drop of a hat terrifying people on and off camera.
I knew what it probably meant and that conclusion terrified me.
Let’s sort it out when we aren’t all terrified of a pandemic.
Nobody terrified audiences with a smile as well as Lee Marvin.
Some property was damaged, some industry professionals spent a few years being terrified, and we moved on.
He backed away and walked down the corridor as a file of terrified patients pressed themselves against the walls.
I kneel with the journalist in the sand, my face stoic and yet terrified, crying, knowing that I can do nothing but wait.
“My sister and her children are terrified,” said Iraqi Yazidi Faisal Fhaqooli, speaking from Lincoln, Nebraska, on Wednesday.
The moon rose on a terrified mob trudging or riding the forty miles of road between Meerut and the Mogul capital.
Terrified with this apparition, he consulted several friends, who advised him to take the advice.
To this the fat boy, considerably terrified, briefly responded, “Missis.”
He now knew no bounds to his wrath; and he proclaimed it in such a manner, that the terrified priest flew before him.
That man's glance seemed to read her very mind, she thought; and suddenly the reflection that had terrified her became her hope.
British Dictionary definitions for terrify
verb -fies, -fying or -fied
(tr) to inspire fear or dread in; frighten greatly
Derived forms of terrify
terrifier, nounWord Origin for terrify
C16: from Latin terrificāre, from terrēre to alarm + facere to cause
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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