How to Use fear for in a Sentence

fear for

phrasal verb
Definition of fear fornext
  • The driver feared for her life and got out of the vehicle.
    — James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 7 Mar. 2024
  • Lives were lost and the vice president was in fear for his life.
    — Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 3 Jan. 2024
  • The actions left the plaintiff in fear for her safety, if not her life, the suit said.
    — Noelle Alviz-Gransee, Kansas City Star, 2 Apr. 2024
  • But inspired stand-ups shouldn’t fear for their jobs — yet.
    — Jason Zinoman, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2023
  • There is shock, grief, fear for the future, worry, anger.
    — Dede Henley, Forbes, 11 Feb. 2024
  • But could Lyle and Erik Menendez have truly been in fear for their lives that night?
    — Natalie Morales, CBS News, 2 Mar. 2024
  • Police said the officer feared for his life and shot Omtvedt.
    — Elena Santa Cruz, The Arizona Republic, 29 Aug. 2023
  • After a brief struggle, the cousin took the weapon from his would-be assailant and pulled the trigger out of fear for his life.
    — Aisha Braveboy, Baltimore Sun, 2 Apr. 2024
  • The motorist did not want to show up at the scene to identify the shooter out of fear for his safety.
    — Nick Ferraro, Twin Cities, 10 Jan. 2024
  • But teachers do not sign up — should not sign up — for fear: fear for their safety.
    — Jay Nordlinger, National Review, 21 Nov. 2023
  • If the agent who opened fire on the would-be thieves feared for his life, or the life of someone else, he would have been justified in the shooting.
    — Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 18 Nov. 2023
  • In 1932, fearing for the safety of his daughter and grandson, Trotsky told them to go to Berlin.
    — Phil Davison, Washington Post, 22 June 2023
  • Abraham said he was forced to cancel his flight back to Israel out of fear for his safety.
    — Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Mar. 2024
  • The teller feared for their safety and complied with the demands, Elk Grove police said.
    — Marcus D. Smith, Sacramento Bee, 3 May 2024
  • Hayes' defense said that Smith feared for his life and was acting in self-defense by shooting Smith.
    — Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 29 Jan. 2024
  • Gómez Trejo moved to the U.S. with his wife and child, fearing for his family’s safety.
    — Alma Guillermoprieto, The New Yorker, 4 Mar. 2024
  • Scorpions can be a fear for many people due to their pincers, stingers and venom.
    — Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 21 June 2023
  • In the aftermath, Love feared for his career, his health, his public persona.
    — Katie Dupere, Men's Health, 30 Aug. 2023
  • Many in Israel are fearing for the future of their families and country.
    — WSJ, 14 Oct. 2023
  • On the witness stand, Moss and Freeman described fearing for their lives as hateful messages poured in.
    — Lindsay Whitehurst and Alanna Durkin Richer, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Dec. 2023
  • According to her remarks to detectives, the woman feared for her safety and locked herself and her son in the child’s room, but Gomez broke through the door.
    — Robert Salonga, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2024
  • These days, people on both sides tell stories of being called vile names or fearing for their safety.
    — Kurt Streeter, New York Times, 7 May 2024
  • And because few have a pathway to legal status in the U.S., the greatest fear for many is being deported.
    — Céline Gounder, STAT, 17 May 2024
  • Most animals that arrive at The Gentle Barn fearing for their lives.
    — Lisa Ling, Analisa Novak, CBS News, 28 May 2024
  • The people of Iran—women in particular—live with fear for their every move.
    — Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 22 May 2024
  • Gonzalez said the homeowner feared for his own safety and fired his own gun at the suspect, striking him.
    — Greg Wehner, Fox News, 18 Feb. 2024
  • These stories can prompt a pet owner to fear for their animal’s safety.
    — Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 31 July 2023
  • Israeli officials have declared at last 35 of them dead in absentia, and relatives and friends fear for the fate of the rest as the conflict drags on.
    — NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
  • The exposure and all the media intrusion had made many people fear for the safety of all children and teachers at 261.
    — Ginia Bellafante, New York Times, 19 Jan. 2024
  • This reality has forced our Client to live her life in a constant state of fear for her personal safety.
    — Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Feb. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fear for.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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