scare
Pronunciation
  • (RP) IPA: /skɛə/
  • (America) IPA: /skɛɚ/
  • IPA: /skɪə(ɹ)/
Etymology 1

From Middle English sker, skere, from the verb Middle English skerren (see below).

Noun

scare (plural scares)

  1. A minor fright.
    Johnny had a bad scare last night.
  2. A cause of slight terror; something that inspires fear or dread.
    a food-poisoning scare
  3. A device or object used to frighten.
Synonyms Translations Translations Etymology 2

From Middle English scaren, skaren, scarren, skeren, skerren, from Old Norse skirra, from Proto-Germanic *skirzijaną, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker-.

Verb

scare (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. 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:
      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 Adjective

scare

  1. lean; scanty



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