scare
verbEtymology From Middle English scaren, skaren, scarren, skeren, skerren, from Old Norse skirra (“to frighten; to shrink away from, shun; to prevent, avert”), from Proto-Germanic *skirzijaną (“to shoo, scare off”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to swing, jump, move”). Related to Old Norse skjarr (“timid, shy, afraid of”). Cognate with Scots skar (“wild, timid, shy”), dialectal Norwegian Nynorsk skjerra, dialectal Swedish skjarra and possibly Old Armenian ցիռ (cʻiṙ, “wild ass”).
1
To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way.
- Did it scare you when I said "Boo!"?
- That cannot be; the noise of thy crossbow / Will scare the herd, and so my shoot is lost.c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], lines 6-7:
3 more examples
- Late triumphs of Russian science are scaring the very dogwater out of large elements in our society, and we both fear more "purging" instead of more effort at catching up.1957 October 20, Roy Bedichek, “to John Henry Faulk”, in Letters of Roy Bedichek, Austin, T.X.: University of Texas Press, published 1985, →ISBN, page 507:
- (Laurel Stevenson) Would you please be quiet? You're scaring the little girl. (Craig Toomey) Scaring the little girl?! Scaring the little girl?! Lady!1995, The Langoliers:
- In other words, the transaction is preferred because it is the best of bad choices. And at least one study has found that when management preannounces a deal it results in lower premiums presumably because it scares off other bidders.2013 February 5, Steven Davidoff Solomon, “Reasons to Be Suspicious of Buyouts Led by Management”, in The New York Times:
2
(To be able) to be scared.
- I don't scare easily.
- Derived terms
38 terms
bescare, bird-scarer, jumpscare, outscare, overscare, scareable, scare away, scare-babe, scare-beggar, scarecrow, scared, scaredy-cat, scare into, scaremonger, scare off, scare out of one's wits, scarer, scare-sleep, scare someone out of their mind, scare someone out of their wits, scare someone to death, scare story, scare straight, scare the bejeebers out of, scare-the-birds, scare the daylights out of, scare the hell out of, scare the hoes, scare the horses, scare the life out of, scare the living daylights out of, scare the pants off, scare the pants off of, scare the shit out of, scare up, scariant, scarify, unscare