What does scare mean?
“Scare” is a common English verb meaning to make someone feel fear, alarm, or anxiety. It can describe a deliberate act, as when a story or surprise frightens somebody, or an involuntary reaction, as when a person becomes frightened after hearing an unexpected noise. The word can also mean to drive someone or something away: a loud alarm may scare birds from a garden, while aggressive advertising may scare customers away from a business. As a noun, “a scare” refers to a sudden period of fear or alarm, sometimes a brief but intense physical reaction, as in “a heart scare.” Related forms include the adjective “scared,” the less formal “scary,” and the noun “scares.” “Scare” is usually mild to strong rather than deliberately elegant; “frighten” and “alarm” are common alternatives, while “terrify” suggests extreme fear.
To cause someone to feel fear or alarm; also, to become frightened.
"The storm scared the horses."
Can be transitive or intransitive. The phrase “scare away” commonly means to cause someone or something to leave because of fear or threat.
A sudden feeling of fear or alarm, especially one that is brief or intense.
"The false alarm caused a brief scare in the office."
The noun is often used with words such as “heart,” “security,” or “stage,” as in “a security scare” or “a stage scare.”
The plural is used for individual incidents or episodes of fear or alarm.
"The series of security scares caused considerable anxiety."
A single unexpected sound can turn an ordinary moment into a full-scale scare.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of scare
The verb “scare” entered English in the medieval period and developed from older Germanic language traditions associated with fear or fright. The modern English spelling reflects the later standardized form, while the noun meaning “a sudden fright” developed alongside the verb. The word is related in its general sense to other Germanic expressions for fear, although its precise historical development is less transparent than many modern English vocabulary words.
Related word forms
How scare is actually used
In everyday use, “scare” is common and generally neutral, though “scare someone silly” and “scare the daylights out of someone” are informal or colloquial. “Scary” is a more common adjective in informal speech; “scared” is the usual adjective for a person's reaction.
Easily confused with scare
“Scare” means to frighten, while “scarce” means difficult to find or not sufficiently available.