frighten

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In his speech to young people, the prime minister said he did not want to "frighten" his audience or put pressure on them.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

Chinese officials first tried to frighten Ms. Takaichi off such a hawkish line with insulting rhetoric.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

Johnson had hoped that running noisy appliances — the dishwasher and the laundry spin cycle — would scare the bear away, but all the noise managed to do was frighten his cat.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2025

Sanctions still hurt the targeted country, but they no longer frighten the market, especially if loosely enforced.

From Barron's • Nov. 20, 2025

Local farmers wanted to hang dead crows around the town on public buildings to frighten the others away; ornithologists said that it wouldn’t work, that the living crows would simply eat the dead ones.

From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman