as in frightening
to strike with fear
thunderstorms have always scared her
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Recent Examples of scaring
The government must refinance without scaring off investors or triggering default.
—
Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
Playing on parental fears, The Babadook has been scaring the daylights out of us for a solid decade now.
—Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
Or the bullpen coughing up an insurance run in the eighth inning, and last year’s hero, Luke Weaver, not even pitching because his season-long struggles had reached their nadir, scaring the Yankees away from using him.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Advertisement Rather than scaring pregnant women away from medications, efforts to ensure high quality prenatal care, manage infections or environmental exposures, and support physical and mental health are key.
—Dr. Sunny Patel, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
The modus operandi generally involved either scaring a convenience store owner and fleeing with thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes, like one such incident at a 7-Eleven in Walnut Creek where masked men stole $8,000 in tobacco products, authorities said.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
During today’s announcement, Kennedy at least acknowledged the trade-offs inherent in scaring pregnant Americans off Tylenol, and allowed that, sometimes, using it is unavoidable.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 23 Sep. 2025
Luzzatto said the relative shortness of that term is scaring away capital.
—Matthew Geiger, Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2025
But, this conversation seems like one for closure and not growth, which, again, is scaring me.
—Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
Playing on parental fears, The Babadook has been scaring the daylights out of us for a solid decade now.
—Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
Or the bullpen coughing up an insurance run in the eighth inning, and last year’s hero, Luke Weaver, not even pitching because his season-long struggles had reached their nadir, scaring the Yankees away from using him.
—Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
Advertisement Rather than scaring pregnant women away from medications, efforts to ensure high quality prenatal care, manage infections or environmental exposures, and support physical and mental health are key.
—Dr. Sunny Patel, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
The modus operandi generally involved either scaring a convenience store owner and fleeing with thousands of dollars worth of cigarettes, like one such incident at a 7-Eleven in Walnut Creek where masked men stole $8,000 in tobacco products, authorities said.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 26 Sep. 2025
During today’s announcement, Kennedy at least acknowledged the trade-offs inherent in scaring pregnant Americans off Tylenol, and allowed that, sometimes, using it is unavoidable.
—Tom Bartlett, The Atlantic, 23 Sep. 2025
Luzzatto said the relative shortness of that term is scaring away capital.
—Matthew Geiger, Denver Post, 19 Sep. 2025
But, this conversation seems like one for closure and not growth, which, again, is scaring me.
—Kayla Grant, PEOPLE, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for scaring
Verb
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Kids will love sending this Dilophosaurus sauntering across the floor, frightening everything and everyone in his path.—
Pamela Brill,
Parents,
2 Oct. 2025
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Instances of swatting have been plaguing the nation for years, with fake shooting threats frightening the public and forcing schools, hospitals, grocery stores, office buildings, and airports into temporary lockdowns.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The game is twisted, disturbing, and terrifying in all the right ways.—
Zackery Cuevas,
PC Magazine,
23 Sep. 2025
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On the same day, 100 cyclists, e-bike and dirt bike riders took over a Boston highway, terrifying local drivers.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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In a follow-up video, the owner revealed a gentle method for waking the puppy without startling her.—
Maria Morava,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This week's headlines in the pet world left us crying tears of joy and sadness—from a puppy watching his mom and siblings get adopted before him to a clip of the Halloween season spooking a canine—but the week wouldn't be complete without a few highlights from our readers.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
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Constellation Brands, the beers’ parent company, warned in April that the president’s deportation push was spooking Latino customers and hurting beer sales.—
Jordan Valinsky,
CNN Money,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Scaring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/scaring. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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