scare
to become frightened: That horse scares easily.
a sudden fright or alarm, especially with little or no reason: I recently had a scare when my computer seemed to be malfunctioning, but it turned out to be nothing.
a time or condition of alarm or worry: During the anthrax scare, people were leery of opening envelopes from addresses they didn't recognize.
scare away / off, to frighten or alarm someone or something so much that they go away and stay away: Business leaders felt the fuel tax would scare away consumers fearing higher electricity bills and rising gasoline costs.The bee's sting isn't necessarily deadly, but it's painful enough to scare off predators.
scare up, Informal. to obtain with effort; find or gather: We want to renovate the kitchen, but first we'll need to scare up some money.
Origin of scare
1synonym study For scare
Other words for scare
Other words from scare
- scar·er, noun
- scar·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use scare in a sentence
Until now, however, these smaller scares merely delayed progress.
What scares me is when I can't help thinking: It was better then.
The Stacks: Harold Conrad Was Many Things, But He Was Never, Ever Dull | Mark Jacobson | March 8, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTDemocrats need to tap what scares their base most: fear of an unrestrained GOP.
Democrats’ Best Weapon for Midterms: Fear of a Red Senate | Michael Tomasky | February 21, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWe still seem driven by hype, by illusory health scares and benefits, by pomp, by the new and trendy, than by taste.
October 25, 1978Halloween scares moviegoers for the first time.
The Week in Nostalgia: ‘Halloween’ Turns 35, Butch and Sundance Debut, and the iPod is Born (VIDEO) | Chancellor Agard | October 26, 2013 | THE DAILY BEAST
In the early hours of morning, we stopped at Simba, the "Place of Lions," where the station-master has many lion scares even now.
In Africa | John T. McCutcheon"The cost scares a guy who has to go to school, too, so he can pass the tests," he said.
The Planet Strappers | Raymond Zinke GallunIt always scares me so I forget half of my verses and then papa is so disappointed.
Tabitha at Ivy Hall | Ruth Alberta BrownThem kind of ghosts is like these here overgrown smart alecs that scares kids.
Danny's Own Story | Don MarquisHow many scares we passed through the night we passed around Fort Ridgely!
Mary and I | Stephen Return Riggs
British Dictionary definitions for scare
/ (skɛə) /
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 difficulty: brewers need to scare up more sales
a sudden attack of fear or alarm
a period of general fear or alarm
causing (needless) fear or alarm: a scare story
Origin of scare
1Derived forms of scare
- scarer, noun
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
Other Idioms and Phrases with scare
In addition to the idioms beginning with scare
- scare out of one's wits
- scare up
also see:
- run scared
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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