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
The creepiest part may have been when their 8-year-old daughter started experiencing sudden night terrors and bouts of sleepwalking.
—
Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 18 Oct. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for night terror 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Natalia Senanayake, People.com, 18 Oct. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for night terror
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 25 Nov. 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