frighten

verb

/ˈfraɪtn/

[transitive, intransitive]

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they frighten	/ˈfraɪtn/ /ˈfraɪtn/
he / she / it frightens	/ˈfraɪtnz/ /ˈfraɪtnz/
past simple frightened	/ˈfraɪtnd/ /ˈfraɪtnd/
past participle frightened	/ˈfraɪtnd/ /ˈfraɪtnd/
-ing form frightening	/ˈfraɪtnɪŋ/ /ˈfraɪtnɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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to make somebody suddenly feel afraid
- frighten (somebody) Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you.
- (informal) He used to frighten me to death (= a lot), zooming about on his go-cart.
- She's not easily frightened.
- She doesn't frighten easily (= it is not easy to make her afraid).
- it frightens somebody to think, see, hear, etc… It really frightens me to think how this might have ended.
- it frightens somebody that… It frightened him that she could see so easily into his private thoughts.
Synonyms frighten
frighten
- scare
- alarm
- terrify
These words all mean to make somebody afraid.
- frighten to make somebody feel afraid, often suddenly:
  He brought out a gun and frightened them off.
- scare to make somebody feel afraid:
  They managed to scare the bears away.
- alarm to make somebody anxious or afraid:
  It alarms me that nobody takes this problem seriously.
  Alarm is used when somebody has a feeling that something unpleasant or dangerous might happen in the future; the feeling is often more one of worry than actual fear.
- terrify to make somebody feel extremely afraid:
  Flying terrified her.
frighten or scare?Scare is slightly more informal than frighten.Patterns
- to frighten/scare somebody/something away/off
- to frighten/scare/terrify somebody into doing something
- It frightens/scares/alarms/terrifies me that…
- It frightens/scares/alarms/terrifies me to think, see, etc.
Extra Examples
- Don't creep around like that! You frightened the life out of me!
- The prospect of war really frightens me.
- Stop it! You're frightening me!
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adverb
- really
- almost
- easily
- …
verb + frighten
- want to
- not mean to
- try to
- …
phrases
- frighten somebody to death
- frighten the life out of somebody
See full entry

Idioms

frighten/scare the (living) daylights out of somebody

(informal) to frighten somebody very much

frighten/scare the life out of somebody

(informal) to frighten somebody very much
- You scared the life out of me coming in so suddenly like that.

frighten/scare somebody to death

(informal) to frighten somebody very much
- Spiders frighten him to death.