terrify
verb/ˈterɪfaɪ/
/ˈterɪfaɪ/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they terrify | /ˈterɪfaɪ/ /ˈterɪfaɪ/ |
| he / she / it terrifies | /ˈterɪfaɪz/ /ˈterɪfaɪz/ |
| past simple terrified | /ˈterɪfaɪd/ /ˈterɪfaɪd/ |
| past participle terrified | /ˈterɪfaɪd/ /ˈterɪfaɪd/ |
| -ing form terrifying | /ˈterɪfaɪɪŋ/ /ˈterɪfaɪɪŋ/ |
- to make somebody feel extremely frightened
- terrify somebody Flying terrifies her.
- Stop it! You’re terrifying the children!
- terrify somebody into (doing) something He terrified employees at the bank into handing over cash.
Synonyms frightenfrightenscare ▪ alarm ▪ terrifyThese words all mean to make somebody afraid.frighten to make somebody feel afraid, often suddenly:Topics Feelingsb2- He brought out a gun and frightened them off.
- They managed to scare the bears away.
- It alarms me that nobody takes this problem seriously.
- Flying terrified her.
- to frighten/scare somebody/something away/off
- to frighten/scare/terrify somebody into doing something
- It frightens/scares/alarms/terrifies me that…
- It frightens/scares/alarms/terrifies me to think, see, etc.
Word Originlate 16th cent.: from Latin terrificare, from terrificus ‘frightening’, from terrere ‘frighten’.Definitions on the go
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terrify