WordGarden.ioscare
B1Pronunciation
UK
- /skˈeə/
US
- /ˈskɛr/
Meanings
Verb
to make someone feel suddenly frightened or worried
Noun
a sudden feeling or episode of fear
an alarming incident, report, or suspicion that danger may exist
Beyond the definition
To scare someone means to make them feel fear. It can happen in a quick moment, like when a loud noise makes you jump, or it can come from worry about something that may happen. A spooky ghost story is meant to scare you. But you can also scare someone by accident, like when you slam a door and make them jump. Sometimes "scare" is a noun: "She gave me quite a scare!" means she frightened me a lot. You can also use it in cases like a farmer scaring birds away from a field, or someone trying to scare another person into doing something.
The word "scare" covers several experiences connected with fear and alarm. At its most basic, it means to frighten someone, often in a sudden way. Think of a haunted house with a classic jump scare. "The sudden crash scared the cat, and it ran under the bed." In this use, the feeling is often brief and sharp, caused by something unexpected.
"Scare" can also describe causing worry that lasts longer. A doctor might warn you about health risks to scare you into taking better care of yourself, meaning to push you through fear. A looming deadline could also scare you into finally starting a project. Here, the idea is not just a quick shock, but making someone anxious enough to act.
"Scare" is also a noun for the frightening experience itself. "That was a real scare!" shows that something caused a strong moment of fear. You can see the same idea in the word "scarecrow," which was originally meant to scare crows away from crops.
Whether it is a quick jump, a strong warning, or a worried moment, "scare" always involves fear entering the situation and changing how someone feels. So when something startles you, worries you, or pushes you to act because of fear, that is the kind of moment this word describes.
Examples
- 1
Sudden noise
The loud thunder scared the dog.
- 2
Apology
Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you.
- 3
Risky driving
It scares me to see him drive so fast.
- 4
Pressure tactic
The company can't scare us into signing the new contract.
- Patternscare someone into doing something
make them do it by frightening them
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Avoidance
Don't let one bad experience scare you away from trying again.
- Patternscare someone away from + thing/activity
make them avoid it because of fear
- 6
Sudden worry
You gave me a scare when you texted, "Call me now."
- Phrasegive someone a scare
make them feel suddenly afraid or worried
- 7
Health concern
He started eating better after a health scare last year.
- Phrasea health scare
a serious worry about someone's health
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- scarenounverbadjective
Forms
- scaredpast tenseverbnounadjective
- scarespluralnounverbadjective
- scaring-ing formverbnounadjective