terrify
verb /ˈterɪfaɪ/
/ˈterɪfaɪ/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they terrify | /ˈterɪfaɪ/ /ˈterɪfaɪ/ |
| he / she / it terrifies | /ˈterɪfaɪz/ /ˈterɪfaɪz/ |
| past simple terrified | /ˈterɪfaɪd/ /ˈterɪfaɪd/ |
| past participle terrified | /ˈterɪfaɪd/ /ˈterɪfaɪd/ |
| -ing form terrifying | /ˈterɪfaɪɪŋ/ /ˈterɪfaɪɪŋ/ |
- to make somebody feel extremely frightened
- terrify somebody Flying terrifies her.
- Stop it! You’re terrifying the children!
- terrify somebody into (doing) something He terrified employees at the bank into handing over cash.
Synonyms frightenfrightenTopics Feelingsb2- scare
- alarm
- terrify
- 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.
- terrify to make somebody feel extremely afraid:
- Flying terrified her.
- 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.
Word Originlate 16th cent.: from Latin terrificare, from terrificus ‘frightening’, from terrere ‘frighten’.