frighten

CEFRA2

/ˈfɹaɪ.tən/

verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To make someone feel afraid or alarmed.

  2. 02

    verb

    Extra detail

    To become scared or alarmed.

Examples

  • I spoke to him kindly so as not to frighten him.

  • I didn't mean to frighten you.

At a glance

Sits at A2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
3
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Also pronounced

  • [ˈfɹ̥aɪtn̩]
  • [ˈfɹ̥aɪʔn̩]

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meaning

  1. To cause to feel fear; to scare; to cause to feel alarm or fright.

More examples

In context

  • People with Mohawk haircuts frighten me!

  • Avery puts a sheet over her head, pretending to be a ghost to frighten Emily.

  • His Deſign was only to frighten France, and get more Money.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The horror movie will blank the young children.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle English *frightenen, equivalent to fright + -en.