Definition

1. Transitive Verb:
   • To cause fear in someone or something; to make afraid: The primary meaning is to induce a sudden feeling of fear or alarm.
   • To drive or force someone to do or not do something by causing fear: To use fear as a means of coercion or control.

Examples of Usage

• Transitive Verb:
  • The loud thunder frightened the child. (The sudden noise caused the child to feel fear.)
  • The manager tried to frighten the employees into working overtime. (The manager used fear to coerce the employees.)
  • Don't let the challenges frighten you out of pursuing your dream. (Don't allow fear to scare you away from your goal.)

Advanced Usage

• "to frighten someone away/off": to cause someone to leave or stay away out of fear.
  • The guard dog frightened away the intruders.
• "to frighten someone into something": to use fear to make someone do something.
  • He was frightened into confessing the truth.
• "to frighten the life out of someone" / "to frighten someone to death" (idiomatic): to terrify someone extremely.
  • That horror movie frightened the life out of me.

Variants and Related Words

• Frightened (adj.): feeling fear or anxiety.
  • The frightened animal hid under the bed.
• Frightening (adj.): causing fear or alarm.
  • It was a frightening experience.
• Fright (n.): a sudden intense feeling of fear.
  • She got a fright when the door slammed.

Synonyms

• Scare: To cause sudden fear (often interchangeable with 'frighten').
• Terrify: To cause extreme fear.
• Alarm: To cause a sense of danger or anxiety.
• Startle: To cause a sudden, brief shock of fear or surprise.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Frighten away/off: To cause to go away or be deterred through fear.
  • The high prices frightened off potential buyers.
• Frighten into: To coerce someone into a specific action using fear.
  • They frightened him into silence.
• Frighten out of: To deter someone from an action or state using fear.
  • The accident frightened her out of ever riding a motorcycle again.

Related Idioms

• Frighten the (living) daylights out of someone: To terrify someone completely.
  • The sudden explosion frightened the living daylights out of everyone.
• Look frightened enough to kill a horse (archaic/colorful): To look extremely frightened.

Verb

1. drive out by frightening
2. cause fear in
   • The stranger who hangs around the building frightens me
   • Ghosts could never affright her