night terror
noun
: a sudden awakening in dazed terror that occurs in children during slow-wave sleep, is often preceded by a sudden shrill cry uttered in sleep, and is not remembered when the child awakes
—usually used in plural
Examples of night terror in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the Blumhouse sequel, Finney (Mason Thames) and Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) are understandably shaken by the events of the first film, an issue that manifests in vivid night terrors for Gwen, and pot-smoking and fist fights for Finney.
—
Jack Dunn, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
In a benchmark-performance preview Qualcomm Summit, the new top-end chip, the X2 Elite Extreme, put up numbers that may well give competitors like AMD and Intel night terrors.
—Wendy Sheehan Donnell, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2025
People with anxiety disorders may also experience: Difficulty staying asleep
Nightmares or night terrors
Frequent nighttime awakening
Early morning awakening3
2.
—Angela Ryan Lee, Verywell Health, 4 Sep. 2025
Qi depicts these night terrors with abject beauty: A fluorescent hand pressed hard onto a polyester sheet that so nearly reaches Hsiao-Lee’s face.
—Adam Solomons, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for night terror
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Jack Dunn, Variety, 20 Oct. 2025
In a benchmark-performance preview Qualcomm Summit, the new top-end chip, the X2 Elite Extreme, put up numbers that may well give competitors like AMD and Intel night terrors.
—Wendy Sheehan Donnell, PC Magazine, 29 Sep. 2025
People with anxiety disorders may also experience: Difficulty staying asleep
Nightmares or night terrors
Frequent nighttime awakening
Early morning awakening3
2.
—Angela Ryan Lee, Verywell Health, 4 Sep. 2025
Qi depicts these night terrors with abject beauty: A fluorescent hand pressed hard onto a polyester sheet that so nearly reaches Hsiao-Lee’s face.
—Adam Solomons, IndieWire, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for night terror
Cite this Entry
“Night terror.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/night%20terror. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
night terror
noun
night ter·ror
-ˈter-ər 
: a sudden awakening in dazed terror that occurs in children during slow-wave sleep, is often preceded by a sudden shrill cry uttered in sleep, and is not remembered when the child awakes
—usually used in plural
called also pavor nocturnus
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