frighten

First used by Ottoman military "mehter" bands to frighten and demoralise the enemy, cymbals were a useful tool for an empire on the warpath.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

“My concern is about the publicizing of these kinds of incidents as a tool to frighten people,” Weiser said.

From Salon ● May 14, 2026

And the fact that Bruce Springsteen kicked off his classic 1978 album “Darkness on the Edge of Town” with a song called “Badlands” would frighten most heartland rock artists away from attempting the same.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 12, 2026

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

He gave Omakayas two smooth sticks to clack together to frighten the flocks, and Angeline his tattered old shirt to flap in the air.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich

I’m not here to persuade you to fly if it frightens you that much.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 9, 2026

Desai: It looked at year end like Kevin Hassett’s star was on the rise, but none of the names discussed frightens me.

From Barron's ● Jan. 9, 2026

Its ultimate goal remains independence but its current leader, Rhun ap Iorwerth, has taken a fresh approach, acknowledging that the idea of Wales going it alone frightens some voters.

From BBC ● Nov. 19, 2025

A sniff of a rotting old chair frightens Indy so much, he wets the rug.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2025

She’s a very stern nurse from the County Kerry and she frightens me.

From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt

Crews also attended incidents elsewhere in Wales, including in Ferndale, Rhondda Cynon Taf, where a BBC reporter on the scene said residents were "frightened".

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026

What lingers is the intimacy of the work—the steady service of caring for frightened people during the worst days of their lives.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

A place outsiders might dismiss as decadent was also where money was raised, grief was gathered and a frightened community turned nightlife into a lifeline.

From Salon ● Jul. 20, 2026

"Don't be frightened to hold your hand up and say, 'Give me some help,'" she says.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

‘Who knows? People were frightened, and when people are frightened, rumor becomes truth.’

From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver

Minnie Driver’s Paris adventures went awry this week when she was involved in a car accident that she’s describing as a frightening close call.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026

It inherently asks us to consume these people and needs us to in order to make money, but sometimes consumers want to unhinge their jaws and eat these stars whole, a frightening and unsettling behavior.

From Slate ● Aug. 5, 2026

He grew up only 10 blocks from the American Museum of Natural History, where a frightening skull display first captured his imagination.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 5, 2026

COVID-19 created the conditions in which conspiracy theories flourish: enormous uncertainty, frightening consequences, rapidly changing information and distrust of institutions.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

It was frightening now to see the walls disappearing—the walls that could have protected them from whoever or whatever was marching toward them.

From "The School for Whatnots" by Margaret Peterson Haddix