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 scare
  • If scare tactics or inappropriate promises are being made, the applicant is denied.
  • It can also scare away soldiers without actually killing them.
  • The dogs are trained to scare cheetahs away by barking at them real loud.
  • Let's stop using the mythical global warming scare tactic to manage everything.
  • Conscientious fishermen even attach streamers to their lines to scare off birds that might become entangled.
  • Every other environmental scare has been either wrong or badly exaggerated.
  • Tarantulas use the same scare tactics as hot chilies to avoid being eaten, a new study suggests.
  • It is encouraging that people are waking up to the scare campaigns.
  • Both moles and humans scare up earthworms through vibrations.
  • To scare off the predatory creature, people covered their homes with the color red and filled the air with loud noises.
British Dictionary definitions for scare

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 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 scare

scare

also see:
run scared