Terrify

/ˈtɛr.ɪ.faɪ/

Meaning & Definition

verb

to cause someone to feel extreme fear.

The thought of speaking in front of a large crowd can terrify many people.

to frighten someone greatly.

The horror movie was designed to terrify audiences with its shocking scenes.

to instill a sense of dread or alarm.

The dark, eerie forest seemed to terrify the children as they walked through it.

to scare or shock someone.

The sudden loud noise from the fireworks terrified the dog.

From the Latin 'terrificare', from 'terrere' meaning 'to frighten'.

terrified to the core

Extremely scared or frightened.

scared out of one's wits

Extremely frightened or terrified.

terror

An intense fear.

terrifying

Causing extreme fear.

Freak out

When he saw the spider, he totally freaked out.

Bounce

That scary clown made me bounce out of my seat.