as in to frighten
to strike with fear
the prospect of speaking in front of a huge crowd of people absolutely terrifies me
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Recent Examples of terrify
As if being sequestered in the middle of nowhere wasn't terrifying enough, being unable to hear any intruder and scream for help is exponentially scarier.
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James Mercadante, EW.com, 22 Oct. 2024
With terrifying films from all over the world, a basement full of vendors and one of the country's largest zombie parades, this small Ozark town is set to become anything but...
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—Dustin Staggs, arkansasonline.com, 20 Oct. 2024
This is the Zodiac Speaking co-director Ari Mark says his intention behind the series is to draw viewers into a bygone era of California before terrifying them.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024
Biden suggested that global leaders are terrified of what Trump’s return to the White House could do to democratic rule around the world.
—Fatima Hussein and Will Weissert, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for terrify 
James Mercadante, EW.com, 22 Oct. 2024
With terrifying films from all over the world, a basement full of vendors and one of the country's largest zombie parades, this small Ozark town is set to become anything but...
Already a subscriber?
—Dustin Staggs, arkansasonline.com, 20 Oct. 2024
This is the Zodiac Speaking co-director Ari Mark says his intention behind the series is to draw viewers into a bygone era of California before terrifying them.
—Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, 23 Oct. 2024
Biden suggested that global leaders are terrified of what Trump’s return to the White House could do to democratic rule around the world.
—Fatima Hussein and Will Weissert, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for terrify
Recent Examples of Synonyms for terrify
Verb
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Like the film itself, Hanks is no-nonsense as a commander who reveals little about himself between barking orders and offering steely words of encouragement to the inexperienced, frightened young men around him.Tim Grierson, Vulture, 2 Nov. 2024
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Researchers estimate that in the United States, wildfire smoke claims 5,000 to 15,000 lives each year — yet these deaths don’t get attention because there is no dramatic footage of flames to frighten us.Nicholas Kristof, The Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2024
Verb
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Fear of further controversy or a backlash from pro-Israeli supporters appears to have scared off U.S. distributors.Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Nov. 2024
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Instead, make noise to scare it away, the website said.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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The handful of locals at Mt. Baldy Lodge eating lunch Tuesday afternoon were startled when someone screamed that the Bridge fire was barreling toward the village.Nathan Solis, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2024
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How about experiments on the swimming ability of a dead rainbow trout or that time biologists tried to startle cows by popping paper bags by their heads?Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 12 Sep. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near terrify
Cite this Entry
“Terrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/terrify. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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