What does "scare" mean?

1. (to frighten) to make someone feel afraid or nervous. 2. (a sudden fright) a feeling of being suddenly afraid, or a situation that causes this. 3. (public panic) a situation where many people are worried about a specific danger, like a disease or a food problem.

scare — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "The loud noise scared to me."?

No — say "The loud noise scared me.". The verb 'scare' is transitive and takes a direct object without the preposition 'to'.

Word

01to frighten

A2 · Elementary

v. to make someone feel afraid or nervous.

v. to cause fear, alarm, or anxiety in a person or animal. Transitive — takes a direct object.

“The sudden thunder scared the cat, and it ran under the sofa.”

“The sudden drop in stock prices scared many first-time investors into selling their shares prematurely.”

Pitfall

The loud noise scared to me.

The loud noise scared me.

The verb 'scare' is transitive and takes a direct object without the preposition 'to'.

Synonyms

frighten terrify startle

Antonyms

comfort reassure

02a sudden fright

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. a feeling of being suddenly afraid, or a situation that causes this.

n. a sudden attack of fear or alarm; often used for a personal experience of fright.

“You gave me a real scare when you jumped out from behind the door.”

“The patient had a health scare last year that prompted him to adopt a much stricter exercise routine.”

Synonyms

fright shock jolt

03public panic

B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun

n. a situation where many people are worried about a specific danger, like a disease or a food problem.

n. a period of widespread public alarm or panic, often regarding health, safety, or the economy.

“There was a big food scare when some milk was found to be unsafe.”

“The recent bomb scare forced the authorities to evacuate the entire terminal while security teams conducted a thorough sweep.”

Synonyms

panic alarm hysteria

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “scare” in context.

Verb

01. easily scare someone

“Don't jump out like that; you know you easily scare your sister.”

adv + verb + noun

02. scare someone away

“The high prices are scaring potential customers away.”

verb + noun + adv

03. scare the life out of someone

“That sudden loud noise scared the life out of me.”

verb + noun + prep + noun

Adjective

04. terrible scare

“The missing child gave his parents a terrible scare before he was found.”

adj + noun

Noun

05. bomb scare

“The station was evacuated this morning due to a bomb scare.”

noun + noun

06. health scare

“After a recent health scare, he decided to quit smoking and start exercising.”

noun + noun

07. scare story

“The newspapers were full of scare stories about the new virus.”

noun + noun

“My windows are so rotten I am scared they will fall out.”

The Guardian 15 Aug 2026

“Their seven-year-old son has stopped playing outside, Sandra says, and for months, the little boy told his father not to go to work – scared he might not return.”

Al Jazeera 14 Aug 2026

From Middle English sker, skere (“terror, fright”), from the verb Middle English skerren (“to frighten”) (see below).

From Middle English scaren, skaren, scarren, skeren, skerren, from Old Norse skirra (“to frighten; to shrink away from, shun; to prevent, avert”), from Proto-Germanic skirzijaną (“to shoo, scare off”), from Proto-Indo-European (s)ker- (“to swing, jump, move”). Related to Old Norse skjarr (“timid, shy, afraid of”). Cognate with Scots skar (“wild, timid, shy”), dialectal Norwegian Nynorsk skjerra, dialectal Swedish skjarra and possibly Old Armenian ցիռ (cʻiṙ, “wild ass”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

VERB

scare(B2)

NOUN

scarecrow(B1)

ADJECTIVE

scared(A2)

scary(A2)