frightened; frightening
ˈfrī-tᵊn-iŋ 
ˈfrīt-niŋ
1
: to make afraid : terrify
The movie scene frightened the child.
2
: to drive or force by frightening
frightened the boy into confessing
: to become frightened
She doesn't frighten easily.
Synonyms
Examples of frighten in a Sentence
The story really frightened me.
The child was badly frightened by the mask.
Recent Examples on the Web
Each October, their town would festoon a local wildlife sanctuary with fake cobwebs and blood spatters, hiring actors to frighten trick-or-treaters on a haunted hayride through the trails.
—
Holden Seidlitz, The New Yorker, 10 June 2024
Many may not have access to health care, and may be frightened about interacting with government officials.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 5 June 2024
There is a target shooting pit near the trailhead, which might frighten dogs and horses.
—Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 17 May 2024
The vandalism, however, frightened many residents because the 65 LaSalle Road building houses a jewelry store formerly owned by a Jewish family.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for frighten 
Holden Seidlitz, The New Yorker, 10 June 2024
Many may not have access to health care, and may be frightened about interacting with government officials.
—Helen Branswell, STAT, 5 June 2024
There is a target shooting pit near the trailhead, which might frighten dogs and horses.
—Mare Czinar, The Arizona Republic, 17 May 2024
The vandalism, however, frightened many residents because the 65 LaSalle Road building houses a jewelry store formerly owned by a Jewish family.
—Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 7 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for frighten
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frighten.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near frighten
Cite this Entry
“Frighten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/frighten. Accessed 2 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share