scare

1 of 2

verb

ˈsker How to pronounce scare (audio)
scared; scaring
Synonyms of scare

transitive verb

: to frighten especially suddenly : alarm

intransitive verb

: to become scared
scarer noun

scare

2 of 2

noun

1
: a sudden fright
2
: a widespread state of alarm : panic
scare adjective

Synonyms of scare

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Verb

Noun

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of scare in a Sentence

Verb You scared me. I didn't see you there. Stop that, you're scaring the children. Noun There have been scares about the water supply being contaminated. fired over their heads in order to throw a scare into them
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Verb
His campaign strategy in the days before the election seemed to rely on scaring the Israeli public into voting for him. — Ruth Margalit, New Yorker, 28 Oct. 2026 The white whale of American politics seemed in reach until the president spent two years scaring it away. — Gabe Fleisher, Washington Post, 26 Oct. 2026
Noun
Moderna gave investors a scare as its stock plunged on Thursday. — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026 The Offspring’s co-founding guitarist Noodles is pausing on performing due to a health scare. — Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for scare

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English skerren, from Old Norse skirra, from skjarr shy, timid

First Known Use

Verb

12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Noun

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of scare was in the 12th century

Phrases Containing scare

Rhymes for scare

See All Rhymes for scare

Browse Nearby Words

scarcity economics
scare
scare away/off
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Scare.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scare. Accessed 1 Nov. 2026.

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Kids Definition

scare

1 of 2 verb
ˈske(ə)r How to pronounce scare (audio)
ˈska(ə)r
scared; scaring
1
: to frighten suddenly : alarm
2
: to become scared

scare

2 of 2 noun
1
: a sudden fright
2
: a widespread state of alarm : panic
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