scare

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scare / ske(ə)r/ • v. [tr.] cause great fear or nervousness in; frighten: the rapid questions were designed to scare her into blurting out the truth. ∎  [tr.] drive or keep (someone) away by frightening them: the threat of bad weather scared away the crowds. ∎  [intr.] become scared: I don't scare easily.• n. a sudden attack of fright: gosh, that gave me a scare! ∎  a general feeling of anxiety or alarm about something: they were forced to leave the building because of a bomb scare.PHRASAL VERBS: scare something up inf. manage to find or obtain something: for a price, the box office can usually scare up a pair of tickets.DERIVATIVES: scar·er n.

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