How to Use frighten in a Sentence

frighten

verb
Definition of frightennext
Synonyms for frightennext
  • The child was badly frightened by the mask.
  • The story really frightened me.
  • What about pets and livestock outside that may frighten wildlife?
    — Kevin Davenport, idahostatesman, 28 June 2018
  • No, the subject matter didn’t frighten me as much as doing a one-woman show.
    — Roslyn Sulcas, New York Times, 13 June 2018
  • Kelly was brave, Rachel said, so being the lone employee working overnight didn’t frighten her.
    — Juliet Muir, NBC News, 17 June 2018
  • Lights and noisemakers, some of them activated by radio collars on wolves, can frighten off the canids.
    — Kale Williams, OregonLive.com, 10 June 2018
  • Give the snake space, walk away without frightening it, and keep in mind that rattlesnakes can coil up and then strike at a great length, so keep as much distance as possible.
    — Caitlin O'Kane, CBS News, 25 June 2018
  • McCarthy stated repeatedly that no one had ever frightened him the way Ramos did.
    — William Cummings, USA TODAY, 29 June 2018
  • Carrasco and Mertens were in the middle of it, and Lukaku had a quick touch that probably frightened Japan fans.
    — Tariq Panja, New York Times, 4 July 2018
  • Although the vast majority are treated and sent home, a few high-profile punishments have frightened many women.
    — The Economist, 9 June 2018
  • Princess Eugenie says that her young sons August and Ernest have no fears about embracing a place that frightened her as a child — the ocean!
    — Janine Henni, People.com, 7 Oct. 2024
  • Lost dogs and cats July 4 is typically the big jail break night for pooches and other pets, who may scamper when frightened by the sights and sounds of fireworks.
    — Tony Bizjak, sacbee, 3 July 2018
  • But what should really frighten energy ministers in Riyadh, Tehran and Moscow is how that oil is produced.
    — Spencer Jakab, WSJ, 1 June 2018
  • The Evening News also report that Tottenham have been 'frightened off' by United's asking price.
    — SI.com, 2 July 2018
  • Though the Fifty-Fifty Films founder said the presence of photographers doesn’t bother her as much, the ease with which people can find her location or homes frightens her.
    — Natalie Oganesyan, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2024
  • Having policymakers in Washington attack our right to exist by law is frightening on a level that is difficult to describe.
    — Dana Rose Falcone, PEOPLE.com, 1 June 2018
  • Front Street, Bradshaw and other shelters are bracing for their busiest weeks of the year, when the bangs and pops of celebratory fireworks frighten animals and send them running.
    — Cynthia Hubert, sacbee, 19 June 2018
  • The agents turned on their lights briefly, which frightened the thief.
    — Mary Zahn and Bill Janz, Journal Sentinel, 17 Jan. 2024
  • We are drawn to the sea and frightened by it, and always have been.
    — Carl Hoffman, Washington Post, 1 Aug. 2023
  • But that’s part of the process — being frightened — for all of us.
    — Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Dec. 2023
  • The woman was frightened and allowed Hunter to get in the back seat.
    — Karen Pilarski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 17 July 2019
  • Among the first were the theme parks which had failed to frighten Disney and a string of hotels.
    — Patrick Frater, Variety, 6 Dec. 2023
  • Their firearms can be concealed to not scare those who are frightened by the sight of guns.
    — oregonlive, 26 Jan. 2023
  • The man started stabbing the ground near the boy’s feet in an effort to frighten him.
    — Bob Sandrick, cleveland, 24 Sep. 2021
  • The poor things are frightened by the loud, unpredictable booms.
    — Tribune Content Agency, The Mercury News, 4 Oct. 2024
  • But nothing could move Ahmed; there was a fury in him that frightened her.
    — Anand Gopal, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024
  • The leaflets frightened some students, and scared some of their parents.
    — Amelia Nierenberg, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Aug. 2023
  • Most people tend to avoid things that scare or frighten them.
    — Alex Orlando, Discover Magazine, 31 Oct. 2023
  • The Ducks success last season had to frighten the rest of the conference.
    — John Canzano, oregonlive, 8 Dec. 2020
  • One day, the lion king was frightened by a roaring noise in the forest.
    — Salman Rushdie, The New Yorker, 31 Oct. 2023

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'frighten.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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