scare

[skair] /skɛər/
verb (used with object), scared, scaring.
1.
to fill, especially suddenly, with fear or terror; frighten; alarm.
verb (used without object), scared, scaring.
2.
to become frightened:
That horse scares easily.
noun
3.
a sudden fright or alarm, especially with little or no reason.
4.
a time or condition of alarm or worry:
For three months there was a war scare.
Verb phrases
5.
scare up, Informal. to obtain with effort; find or gather:
to scare up money.
Origin
1150-1200; (v.) Middle English skerren < Old Norse skirra to frighten, derivative of skjarr timid, shy; (noun) late Middle English skere, derivative of the v.
Related forms
scarer, noun
scaringly, adverb
unscared, adjective
Synonyms
1. startle, intimidate. See frighten.
Examples from the web for scared
  • The sound of his own footsteps scared and frightened him.
  • They scared him enough that he put out a statement that he will no longer be making predictions.
  • The hostilities have also scared away tourists-one of the nation's largest sources of foreign exchange.
  • Guns are for people who feel out of place and scared in their environment.
  • These boys with old, scared faces, learning to walk.
  • These things happening are a sign that the economy is kind of shaky and thus people get scared of that thought.
  • The pop-culture notion that bullies tend to be cowards who can be scared off with a quick punch to the nose is wrong.
  • Evangelical interlopers were scared away by violence, but that is no longer the case.
  • Again, given the terms governments are likely to demand, shareholders are right to be scared.
  • Uncertainty has scared off foreign and local investment.
British Dictionary definitions for scared

scare

/skɛə/
verb
1.
to fill or be filled with fear or alarm
2.
(transitive; often foll by away or off) to drive (away) by frightening
3.
(transitive) (US & Canadian, informal) (foll by up)
  1. to produce (a meal) quickly from whatever is available
  2. to manage to find (something) quickly or with difficulty: brewers need to scare up more sales
noun
4.
a sudden attack of fear or alarm
5.
a period of general fear or alarm
adjective
6.
causing (needless) fear or alarm: a scare story
Derived Forms
scarer, noun
Word Origin
C12: from Old Norse skirra; related to Norwegian skjerra, Swedish dialect skjarra
Word Origin and History for scared
adj.

past participle adjective from scare (v.). Scared stiff first recorded 1900; scared shitless is from 1936. Scaredy-cat "timid person" first attested 1906.

scare

v.

1590s, alteration of Middle English skerren (c.1200), from Old Norse skirra "to frighten; to shrink from, shun; to prevent, avert," related to skjarr "timid, shy, afraid of," of unknown origin. In Scottish also skair, skar, and in dialectal English skeer, skear, which seems to preserve the older pronunciation. To scare up "procure, obtain" is first recorded 1846, American English, from notion of rousing game from cover. Related: Scared; scaring.

n.

"something that frightens; sudden panic, sudden terror inspired by a trifling cause, false alarm," 1520s, alteration of Middle English sker "fear, dread" (c.1400), from scare (v.). Scare tactic attested from 1948.

Idioms and Phrases with scared

scare

also see:
run scared