terrify
Americanverb (used with object)
-
terrifies,
present (3rd person singular)
-
terrified,
past participle, past
-
terrifying
present participle
verb
Synonym Usage
See frighten.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
terrifysimple
-
terrifiessimple
-
have terrifiedperfect
-
has terrifiedperfect
-
am terrifyingprogressive
-
are terrifyingprogressive
-
is terrifyingprogressive
-
have been terrifyingperfect progressive
-
has been terrifyingperfect progressive
Past
-
terrifiedsimple
-
had terrifiedperfect
-
was terrifyingprogressive
-
were terrifyingprogressive
-
had been terrifyingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of terrify
1565–75; < Latin terrificāre, equivalent to terr ( ēre ) to frighten + -ificāre -ify
Explanation
If you terrify someone, that person is enormously frightened of you. The verb terrify is closely related to the word terror, and its Latin root is terrificus, "causing terror." While some people might say that monsters terrify them, others are terrified by heights, snakes, or speaking in public. If there's something that makes you feel a deep, horrible sense of fear, it terrifies you.
Vocabulary lists containing terrify
"The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"In the Spotlight," Vocabulary from the informational text
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
The House of Hades
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
The backrooms seem to exist in part to terrify entrants into redirecting their energies toward better life choices.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
"Either to terrify the residents and force them to move," he said, "or to put pressure on the Lebanese army to confront people."
From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2025
And yes, SVB should terrify anyone paying attention.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2025
“I’ve come to view Jesus the way I’ve come to view Elvis. I love the guy, but some of the fan clubs terrify me.”
From Salon ● Sep. 19, 2025
What’s so odd is that even with Frida and the toxoplasmosis and this man who should terrify me for so many reasons, I feel more at home than I have anywhere for so long.
From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
"Some of these dogs shouldn't be going home… that terrifies me, that they're going to be coming back in. And dogs have gone home that have bitten and come back," he says.
From BBC ● Mar. 30, 2026
The Sublime, Edmund Burke wrote in 1757, terrifies in darkness, but when its effects are managed and ordered, we call them beauty.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 14, 2026
“You’re walking into a very, very conflictual relationship with the U.S.—and that terrifies me. But I’m not sure if there’s any way around it. Aren’t we actually already there?”
From Slate ● Feb. 13, 2026
So if I see a really big bridge, like the bridge in Long Beach, going over that terrifies me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2025
The idea of going up in the air terrifies me.
From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes
Despite feeling "absolutely terrified" during the event's inaugural mixed 4x100m relay, Asher-Smith, world 200m champion in 2019, leaves Birmingham a 22-time international medallist in her senior career.
From BBC ● Aug. 16, 2026
These days in Pozos de Gamboa, a Zacatecas town of 5,000 that is known for growing beans, people are terrified.
From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026
For more than a decade it has been a frontline, the first Greek soil that exhausted, terrified people touch when they cross from Turkey in boats that were never built for open water.
From Salon ● Aug. 5, 2026
Having returned to Ghana's capital, Accra, in May, Asamoah tells the BBC that the encounter left him terrified.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
What do you say when your best friend has lost his mojo because you tried to reduce him to a paranoid bundle of nerves terrified of going into anaphylactic shock?
From "Liar, Liar" by Gary Paulsen
The effects of a terrifying or life-threatening experience can continue long after the immediate danger has passed.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 6, 2026
It became a journey that was by turns funny, frustrating and terrifying.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
“What’s really terrifying is that influence. It’s already being felt in the United States,” Williamson said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
Kelly said hearing the diagnosis was "terrifying", adding: "You know something is wrong, but you never expect it to be that."
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
And was immediately greeted by furious barks, toothy snaps, and terrifying roars!
From "Dog Squad" by Chris Grabenstein
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.
