scare
gb/skˈɛɹ/ us/skˈɛɹ/
A2
English
~ 700
megijeszt, ijedség, riadalom, elijeszt, elriaszt
VERB
A2
1
megijeszt
A2
Usage pattern:
to scare [someone]
The loud noise scared the children.
A hangos zaj megijesztette a gyerekeket.
You really scared me when you jumped out from behind the door.
Nagyon megijesztettél, amikor kiugrottál az ajtó mögül.
The possibility of losing his job scared him.
Learner examples
The dog scared the little boy.
A kutya megijesztette a kisfiút.
The movie scared me a lot.
A film nagyon megijesztett.
A big spider scared her.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'scare' with 'afraid'. 'Scare' is an action, while 'afraid' is a feeling.
Meaning
Cause someone to feel fear
Collocations
scare away
|scare off
|really scare
|scare badly
|scare easily
Synonyms
frighten (Very close in meaning; slightly more formal than 'scare'.)
|
startle (Implies a quick, surprising fright rather than deep fear.)
Antonyms
reassure (Means to make someone feel calm and safe instead of afraid.)
Themes
emotions
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To make someone feel afraid suddenly.
To make someone suddenly feel afraid or worried.
NOUN
B1
2
That horror film gave me a real scare.
Az a horrorfilm alaposan rám ijesztett.
We had a bit of a health scare last year.
Tavaly volt egy kisebb egészségügyi riadalmunk.
The false alarm caused a big security scare.
Learner examples
The loud bang gave me a scare.
A hangos durranás rám ijesztett.
He had a health scare last year.
Tavaly volt egy egészségügyi riadalma.
The fire alarm gave us all a scare.
Common mistake:
Learners may confuse 'scare' (noun) with 'scary' (adjective). The noun is the event, the adjective describes something that causes fear.
Meaning
Sudden feeling of fear
Collocations
give a scare
|get a scare
|health scare
|security scare
Synonyms
fright (Slightly more formal and less common than 'scare' in everyday speech.)
Antonyms
calm (A state of peace and lack of fear, opposite to a scare.)
Themes
emotions
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Definition
A short time when you feel afraid suddenly.
A short period of sudden fear or worry.
VERB
B1
3
Usage pattern:
to scare [someone/something] away/off
The guard dog scared off the burglars.
Az őrkutya elriasztotta a betörőket.
We put up a scarecrow to scare away the crows.
Felállítottunk egy madárijesztőt, hogy elijesszük a varjakat.
High prices can scare away customers.
Learner examples
The loud noise scared away the cats.
A hangos zaj elijesztette a macskákat.
The police siren scared off the thief.
A rendőrsziréna elriasztotta a tolvajt.
We use lights to scare away animals.
Meaning
Make something go away by fear
Collocations
scare off intruders
|scare away birds
|scare off competition
Synonyms
deter (More formal; often used for preventing actions through fear or difficulty.)
Antonyms
attract (Means to cause someone or something to come closer instead of go away.)
Themes
emotions
|daily life
|animals
|core_vocabulary
Definition
To make someone or something go away because they are afraid.
To make a person or animal leave or stop trying to do something by making them afraid.
Grammar
Dictionary form
scare
IPA
GB/skˈɛɹ/
US/skˈɛɹ/
Syllables & stress
scare (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (scare)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: scare
- Plural: scares
Verb
- Base: scare
- 3rd Person Singular: scares
- Present Participle: scaring
- Past: scared
Word family
Forms
scares
noun
scaring
verb
scared
verb
Core family
scary
adjective A2
Advanced or less common
scarily
adverb
scariness
noun
Expressions
give someone a scare
1/ɡˈɪv sˈʌmwˌʌn ə skˈɛɹ/
fixed phrase
Cause brief sudden fear in someone
To make someone suddenly feel afraid for a short time.
Examples
- You gave me a real scare when you shouted like that.
- Falling down the stairs gave her quite a scare.
health scare
1/hˈɛlθ skˈɛɹ/
fixed phrase
Event causing sudden health worry
A time when people are suddenly worried about health problems.
Examples
- He had a health scare but is fine now.
- The outbreak caused a major public health scare.
scare away
1/skˈɛɹ əwˈeɪ/
phrasal verb
Cause departure through fear
To make someone or something leave because they are afraid.
Examples
- The noise scared away the birds.
- Bad service can scare away customers.
scare off
1/skˈɛɹ ˈɔf/
phrasal verb
Frighten away someone or something
To make someone or something go away because they are afraid or worried.
Examples
- The barking dog scared off the stranger.
- High rent prices can scare off new businesses.