terrify
verb
ter·ri·fy
ˈter-ə-ˌfī 
ˈte-rə-
terrified; terrifying
1
a
: to drive or impel by menacing : scare
b
: deter, intimidate
2
: to fill with terror
Synonyms
Examples of terrify in a Sentence
The thought of dying alone terrifies her.
the prospect of speaking in front of a huge crowd of people absolutely terrifies me
Recent Examples on the Web
At the Commerce Department, employees were terrified whenever a meeting was called, one worker said.
—
Erica L. Green, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2025
At least, to the neighbors terrified that Eric Adams’s favorite private club would, after a brief and contentious experiment this summer, take over the 1873 Hedges Inn and bring with it more noise, traffic, and possibly Kardashian types.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 22 Jan. 2025
Set in a German port in the 1830s, the remake follows a haunted young woman named Ellen Hutter (Depp) and Count Orlok (Skarsgård), the terrifying vampire who becomes infatuated with her.
—Michaela Zee, Variety, 22 Jan. 2025
My wife and kids called terrified that our cats were going to be burned alive.
—Ivan Kashinsky, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for terrify 
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Erica L. Green, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2025
At least, to the neighbors terrified that Eric Adams’s favorite private club would, after a brief and contentious experiment this summer, take over the 1873 Hedges Inn and bring with it more noise, traffic, and possibly Kardashian types.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 22 Jan. 2025
Set in a German port in the 1830s, the remake follows a haunted young woman named Ellen Hutter (Depp) and Count Orlok (Skarsgård), the terrifying vampire who becomes infatuated with her.
—Michaela Zee, Variety, 22 Jan. 2025
My wife and kids called terrified that our cats were going to be burned alive.
—Ivan Kashinsky, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for terrify
Dictionary Entries Near terrify
Cite this Entry
“Terrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrify. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
terrify
verb
ter·ri·fy
ˈter-ə-ˌfī
terrified; terrifying
: to fill with terror
terrifyingly
adverb
-ˌfī-iŋ-lē
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