scare
nounverbadjectivecommon in dialogue
- United Kingdom//skɛə//
- United States//skɛɚ//
- Australia//skeː//
- New Zealand//skeə//
- //skɪə(ɹ)//
A minor fright.
noun
- 1
A minor fright.
Johnny had a bad scare last night.
England were held to a draw after surviving a major scare against Switzerland as they were forced to come from two goals behind to earn a point in the Euro 2012 qualifier at Wembley.
- 2
A cause of terror or alarm; a panic; something that inspires fear or dread.
a food-poisoning scare
- 3
A device or object used to frighten.
But I admit the possibility of their being used as "scares" for either birds of prey or snakes, or both.
Etymology
From Middle English sker, skere (“terror, fright”), from the verb Middle English skerren (“to frighten”) (see below).
verb
- 1
To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way.
Did it scare you when I said "Boo!"?
That cannot be; the noise of thy crossbow / Will scare the herd, and so my shoot is lost.
Late triumphs of Russian science are scaring the very dogwater out of large elements in our society, and we both fear more "purging" instead of more effort at catching up.
(Laurel Stevenson) Would you please be quiet? You're scaring the little girl. (Craig Toomey) Scaring the little girl?! Scaring the little girl?! Lady!
- 2
(To be able) to be scared.
I don't scare easily.
Etymology
From Middle English scaren, skaren, scarren, skeren, skerren, from Old Norse skirra (“to frighten; to shrink away from, shun; to prevent, avert”), from Proto-Germanic *skirzijaną (“to shoo, scare off”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to swing, jump, move”). Related to Old Norse skjarr (“timid, shy, afraid of”). Cognate with Scots skar (“wild, timid, shy”), dialectal Norwegian Nynorsk skjerra, dialectal Swedish skjarra and possibly Old Armenian ցիռ (cʻiṙ, “wild ass”).
adjective
- 1
lean; scanty
Forms
- plural
- scares
- comparative
- more scare
- superlative
- most scare
- past tense
- scared
- past participle
- scared
- present participle
- scaring
- third person singular
- scares