Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Scare

Scare

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Scared
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Scaring
.]
[OE.
skerren
,
skeren
, Icel.
skirra
to bar, prevent,
skirrask
to shun , shrink from; or fr. OE.
skerre
, adj., scared, Icel.
skjarr
; both perhaps akin to E.
sheer
to turn.]
To frighten; to strike with sudden fear; to alarm.
The noise of thy crossbow
Will
scare
the herd, and so my shoot is lost.
Shakespeare
To scare away
,
to drive away by frightening.
To scare up
,
to find by search, as if by beating for game.
[Slang]
Syn. – To alarm; frighten; startle; affright; terrify.

Scare

,
Noun.
Fright; esp., sudden fright produced by a trifling cause, or originating in mistake.
[Colloq.]

Webster 1828 Edition


Scare

SCARE

,
Verb.
T.
[L. ex and cor, heart; but qu.]
To fright; to terrify suddenly; to strike with sudden terror.
The noise of thy crow-bow will scare the herd, and so my shot is lost.
To scare away, to drive away by frightening.

Definition 2024


scare

scare

English

Noun

scare (plural scares)

  1. A minor fright.
    Johnny had a bad scare last night.
    • 2011 June 4, Phil McNulty, “England 2 - 2 Switzerland”, in BBC:
      England were held to a draw after surviving a major scare against Switzerland as they were forced to come from two goals behind to earn a point in the Euro 2012 qualifier at Wembley.
  2. A cause of slight terror; something that inspires fear or dread.
    JM is a scare to the capitalists of this country.
Synonyms
Related terms
Translations
See also

Etymology 2

An alteration (first attested in the 1590s) of Middle English skerren (which is itself first attested c. 1200). Middle English skerren is derived from the Old Norse verb skirra ("to frighten; to shrink away from, shun; to prevent, avert"), which is related to the Old Norse noun skjarr ("timid, shy, afraid of") of unknown ultimate origin. Compare Scots skar ("wild, timid, shy").

Verb

scare (third-person singular simple present scares, present participle scaring, simple past and past participle scared)

  1. To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way.
    Did it scare you when I said "Boo!"?
    • c. 1851, Henry VI, Part 3 (III:i, v. 6-7), William Shakespeare
      That cannot be; the noise of thy crossbow / Will scare the herd, and so my shoot is lost.
    • 1995 The Langoliers
      (Laurel Stevenson) Would you please be quiet? You're scaring the little girl.
      (Craig Toomey) Scaring the little girl?! Scaring the little girl?! Lady!
Synonyms
Translations

Derived terms

Anagrams


French

Etymology

From Latin scarus (also genus name Scarus), from Ancient Greek σκάρος (skáros).

Noun

scare m (plural scares)

  1. parrotfish

Anagrams