scare

scare¹ [skeə US sker] v

[Date: 1100-1200; : Old Norse; Origin: skirra, from skjarr 'shy, fearful']

1.) [T]

to make someone feel frightened

= ↑frighten

→↑afraid

▪ Loud noises can scare animals or birds.

scare the life/living daylights/hell etc out of sb

(=scare someone very much)

▪ The alarm scared the hell out of me.

scare the pants off sb

(=scare someone very much)

2.) scare easily

to be frightened by things that are not very frightening

▪ I don't scare easily, you know.

scare into [scare sb into sth] phr v

to make someone do something by frightening them or threatening them

scare sb into doing sth

▪ You can't scare me into telling you anything.

scare off/away [scare sb/sth<=>off/away] phr v

1.) to make an animal or person go away by frightening them

▪ She moved quietly to avoid scaring the birds away.

2.) to make someone uncertain or worried so that they do not do something they were going to do

▪ Rising prices are scaring off many potential customers.

scare up [scare up sth] phr v

to make something although you have very few things to make it from

▪ Let me see if I can scare up something for you to eat.

scare ²

scare² n

1.) [singular]

a sudden feeling of fear

▪ You really gave us a scare !

2.)

a situation in which a lot of people become frightened about something

▪ a bomb scare

▪ a health scare