terrify
verb
ter·ri·fy
ˈter-ə-ˌfī 
ˈte-rə-
terrified; terrifying
1
a
: to drive or impel by menacing : scare
b
: deter, intimidate
2
: to fill with terror
Synonyms
Examples of terrify in a Sentence
The thought of dying alone terrifies her.
the prospect of speaking in front of a huge crowd of people absolutely terrifies me
Recent Examples on the Web
The drones used to study this storm and others are among an array of tools developed by NOAA and its partners to unravel the mystery behind why hurricanes like Beryl suddenly explode, growing from timid to terrifying in a matter of hours.
—
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 3 July 2024
But if the 59 steps up the tower are terrifying, the exhilaration of the 33-foot plunge to the water below more than makes up for the fright.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2024
Lolo Jones, 41 and ‘terrified,’ is back on the track and running against ti...
Perspective
Alex Morgan and Caitlin Clark could be NBC stars.
—Adam Kilgore, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
The cameo came from a desire to tell a haunted house story for Daemon at Harrenhal and confronting what terrifies him most.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 1 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for terrify 
Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 3 July 2024
But if the 59 steps up the tower are terrifying, the exhilaration of the 33-foot plunge to the water below more than makes up for the fright.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2024
Lolo Jones, 41 and ‘terrified,’ is back on the track and running against ti...
Perspective
Alex Morgan and Caitlin Clark could be NBC stars.
—Adam Kilgore, Washington Post, 1 July 2024
The cameo came from a desire to tell a haunted house story for Daemon at Harrenhal and confronting what terrifies him most.
—Nick Romano, EW.com, 1 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for terrify
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'terrify.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near terrify
Cite this Entry
“Terrify.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/terrify. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
terrify
verb
ter·ri·fy
ˈter-ə-ˌfī
terrified; terrifying
: to fill with terror
terrifyingly
adverb
-ˌfī-iŋ-lē
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