Frighten
['fraɪt(ə)n] or ['fraɪtn]
Definition
(verb.) cause fear in; 'The stranger who hangs around the building frightens me'; 'Ghosts could never affright her'.
(verb.) drive out by frightening.
Checker: Nona--From WordNet
Definition
(v. t.) To disturb with fear; to throw into a state of alarm or fright; to affright; to terrify.
Typist: Psyche
Synonyms and Synonymous
v. a. Alarm, affright, terrify, scare, dismay, daunt, intimidate, shock with sudden fear.
Checked by Lanny
Examples
- What d'you want to frighten a chap for? Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- I wouldn't frighten Kate--poor little Kate. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
- You shall threaten him with the Secret, and frighten him too. Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- When he put the parcel down, it appeared to frighten him. Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- Don't think to frighten me as you have done others. William Makepeace Thackeray. Vanity Fair.
- Why, I thought nothing could frighten you. Thomas Hardy. The Return of the Native.
- Such a forward young lady may well frighten the men. Jane Austen. Mansfield Park.
- While it lasts they're frightened enough, but they soon get over it, sir. Fergus Hume. The Island of Fantasy.
- I am quite grieved for him, and very much frightened, and so is Sir Thomas; and how glad I should be if you were here to comfort me. Jane Austen. Mansfield Park.
- Gudrun sat, sick at heart, frightened of the great, level surface of the water, so heavy and deadly. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- Oh, his mother was frightened--she was afraid I should have all the family jewels reset. Edith Wharton. The House of Mirth.
- Laurie dashed downstairs for water, while Meg and Hannah supported her, and Jo read aloud, in a frightened voice. Louisa May Alcott. Little Women.
- He was so frightened of an Austrian. Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell To Arms.
- Can you talk to me without feeling frightened, and without forgetting that I am a friend? Wilkie Collins. The Woman in White.
- Now, about some things, St. Clare is really frightful--he frightens me--good-natured as he looks, in general. Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- It frightens me to feel that we are in the same room together! Wilkie Collins. The Moonstone.
- If you like, miss, said Sam, I'll wait in the hall for you; and if she frightens you, just call and I'll come in. Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre.
- A dynamic conception of society always frightens a great number of people. Walter Lippmann. A Preface to Politics.
- It frightens me. Ernest Hemingway. A Farewell To Arms.
- The interplay between the women was real and rather frightening. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- The windows were dark and blank, already the place was frightening. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- But this was so still and frail, as space is more frightening than force. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- And she was so hard awake, it was almost frightening--a hard, metallic wakefulness. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- Suddenly, from the boat-house, a white figure ran out, frightening in its swift sharp transit, across the old landing-stage. D. H. Lawrence. Women in Love .
- It is frightening her to death. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- Bell called his boat the Comet, in commemoration of the remarkable eccentric luminary which was at that time frightening Europe from its propriety. Frederick C. Bakewell. Great Facts.
Checker: Sheena