scare tactics

American  

[skair tak-tiks] / ˈskɛər ˌtæk tɪks /

Also scare tactic

plural noun

1. a strategy to get someone to comply or surrender by making them afraid.

   Scare tactics won't keep kids from using drugs, says this social worker.

   In this telemarketing scam, perpetrators use the threat of a computer meltdown as a scare tactic to get victims to send money.

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Etymology

Origin of scare tactics

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

The unforeseen tactics of Dingwell had interfered with the ambush.

From The Sheriff's Son by Raine, William MacLeod