# scare someone to death

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/scare-someone-to-death
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To frighten someone very much.

## Examples

- The loud noise scared me to death.
- He jumped out from behind the door and scared me to death.
- The sudden, thunderous crash in the middle of the night scared the sleeping family to death, leaving them trembling in the dark.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.