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
Rainy’s night terrors returned, with recurring dreams of her adoptive father dying.
—
Hannah Bassett, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2024
Unfortunately, for those of us experiencing night terrors, undisturbed sleep is hardly ever achieved.
—Donna Sarkar, Discover Magazine, 14 Aug. 2024
Medications can also be the culprit for your pet’s night terrors.
—Donna Sarkar, Discover Magazine, 14 Aug. 2024
Approximately 5% of children sleepwalk, 10% to 17% snore, and around 30% experience night terrors.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for night terror 
Hannah Bassett, ProPublica, 10 Sep. 2024
Unfortunately, for those of us experiencing night terrors, undisturbed sleep is hardly ever achieved.
—Donna Sarkar, Discover Magazine, 14 Aug. 2024
Medications can also be the culprit for your pet’s night terrors.
—Donna Sarkar, Discover Magazine, 14 Aug. 2024
Approximately 5% of children sleepwalk, 10% to 17% snore, and around 30% experience night terrors.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 21 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for night terror
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'night terror.' 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 night terror
Cite this Entry
“Night terror.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/night%20terror. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share