Standard Lemma guide

frighten

verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈfɹaɪ.tən/
  • [ˈfɹ̥aɪtn̩]
  • [ˈfɹ̥aɪʔn̩]
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -aɪtən
  • CMU ARPABET: F R AY1 T AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

verb

Meaning 1

To cause to feel fear; to scare; to cause to feel alarm or fright.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • Avery puts a sheet over her head, pretending to be a ghost to frighten Emily.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To become scared or alarmed.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

cause fear in

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The stranger who hangs around the building frightens me
  • Ghosts could never affright her

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: fright, scare, affright

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stimulate, shake, shake up, excite, stir

Narrower terms: bluff, awe, terrify, terrorize, terrorise, intimidate, dismay, alarm, appal, appall, horrify, consternate, spook

4

verb

Meaning 4

drive out by frightening

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: chase away, drive out, turn back, drive away, dispel, drive off, run off

History

Etymology

From Middle English *frightenen, equivalent to fright + -en.

Across languages

Translations

120 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: خَشَّى (ḵaššā) — to disturb with fear
  • Arabic: أَفْزَعَ (ʔafzaʕa) — to disturb with fear
  • Arabic: خلع (ḵleʕ) — to disturb with fear
  • Armenian: վախեցնել (vaxecʻnel) — to disturb with fear
  • Asturian: apavoriar — to disturb with fear
  • Asturian: apavorar — to disturb with fear
  • Asturian: amedrentar — to disturb with fear
  • Asturian: atemoriar — to disturb with fear
  • Azerbaijani: qorxutmaq — to disturb with fear
  • Azerbaijani: qorxuzmaq — to disturb with fear
  • Azerbaijani: qorxuya salmaq — to disturb with fear
  • Belarusian: пало́хаць (palóxacʹ) — to disturb with fear
  • Belarusian: спало́хаць (spalóxacʹ) — to disturb with fear
  • Belarusian: страшы́ць (strašýcʹ) — to disturb with fear
  • Belarusian: застрашы́ць (zastrašýcʹ) — to disturb with fear
  • Breton: spontañ — to disturb with fear
  • Bulgarian: пла́ша (pláša) — to disturb with fear
  • Bulgarian: изпла́швам (izplášvam) — to disturb with fear
  • Bulgarian: изпла́ша (izpláša) — to disturb with fear
  • Burmese: ခြောက် (hkrauk) — to disturb with fear
  • Catalan: espantar — to disturb with fear
  • Catalan: espaventar — to disturb with fear
  • Catalan: esporuguir — to disturb with fear
  • Catalan: esgarrifar — to disturb with fear
  • Chinese Mandarin: 嚇唬 /吓唬 (xiàhu) — to disturb with fear
  • Chinese Mandarin: 嚇 /吓 (xià) — to disturb with fear
  • Czech: vystrašit — to disturb with fear
  • Danish: skræmme — to disturb with fear
  • Dutch: bang maken — to disturb with fear
  • Dutch: beangstigen — to disturb with fear
  • Esperanto: timigi — to disturb with fear
  • Finnish: pelottaa — to disturb with fear
  • Finnish: säikähdyttää — to disturb with fear
  • Finnish: säikyttää — to disturb with fear
  • French: effrayer — to disturb with fear
  • French: redouter — to disturb with fear
  • French: terrifier — to disturb with fear
  • Friulian: spaurî — to disturb with fear
  • Galician: espantar — to disturb with fear
  • Galician: atemorizar — to disturb with fear
  • Georgian: შეშინება (šešineba) — to disturb with fear
  • German: Angst machen — to disturb with fear
  • German: erschrecken — to disturb with fear
  • German: schrecken — to disturb with fear
  • German: beängstigen — to disturb with fear
  • German: ängstigen — to disturb with fear
  • Gothic: 𐍉𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (ōgjan) — to disturb with fear
  • Greek: τρομάζω (tromázo) — to disturb with fear
  • Ancient Greek: ἐκφοβέω (ekphobéō) — to disturb with fear
  • Ancient Greek: φοβέω (phobéō) — to disturb with fear
  • Ancient Greek: φοβερίζω (phoberízō) — to disturb with fear
  • Ancient Greek: πτήσσω (ptḗssō) — to disturb with fear
  • Hawaiian: hoʻomākaʻukaʻu — to disturb with fear
  • Ingrian: pölässyttää — to disturb with fear
  • Ingrian: aroittaa — to disturb with fear
  • Irish: cuir eagla ar — to disturb with fear
  • Irish: scanraigh — to disturb with fear
  • Italian: spaurire — to disturb with fear
  • Italian: spaventare — to disturb with fear
  • Japanese: 怖がらせる (kowagaraseru) — to disturb with fear
  • Korean: 겁먹게 만들다 (geommeokge mandeulda) — to disturb with fear
  • Northern Kurdish: tirsandin — to disturb with fear
  • Latin: terreō — to disturb with fear
  • Latvian: baidīt — to disturb with fear
  • Latvian: biedēt — to disturb with fear
  • Latvian: biedināt — to disturb with fear
  • Macedonian: плаши (plaši) — to disturb with fear
  • Macedonian: заплаши (zaplaši) — to disturb with fear
  • Macedonian: исплаши (isplaši) — to disturb with fear
  • Malay: menakutkan — to disturb with fear
  • Nahuatl: tetzauhqui — to disturb with fear
  • Old English: grēosan — to disturb with fear
  • Oromo: sodaachiisuu — to disturb with fear
  • Pashto: وېرول (werawël) — to disturb with fear
  • Persian: ترساندن (tarsândan) — to disturb with fear
  • Polabian: aizosĕt — to disturb with fear
  • Polish: straszyć — to disturb with fear
  • Polish: przestraszyć — to disturb with fear
  • Polish: nastraszyć — to disturb with fear
  • Portuguese: intimidar — to disturb with fear
  • Portuguese: amedrontar — to disturb with fear
  • Portuguese: ameaçar — to disturb with fear
  • Romanian: speria — to disturb with fear
  • Romanian: înspăimânta — to disturb with fear
  • Russian: пуга́ть (pugátʹ) — to disturb with fear
  • Russian: испуга́ть (ispugátʹ) — to disturb with fear
  • Russian: напуга́ть (napugátʹ) — to disturb with fear
  • Russian: страши́ть (strašítʹ) — to disturb with fear
  • Russian: устраши́ть (ustrašítʹ) — to disturb with fear
  • Serbo-Croatian: стра̏шити — to disturb with fear
  • Serbo-Croatian: прѐстрашити — to disturb with fear
  • Serbo-Croatian: за̀страшити — to disturb with fear
  • Serbo-Croatian: strȁšiti — to disturb with fear
  • Serbo-Croatian: prèstrašiti — to disturb with fear
  • Serbo-Croatian: zàstrašiti — to disturb with fear
  • Sikkimese: དཀྲོགས (dkrogs) — to disturb with fear
  • Slovak: vystrašiť — to disturb with fear
  • Slovene: strašiti — to disturb with fear
  • Slovene: prestrašiti — to disturb with fear
  • Lower Sorbian: tšachaś — to disturb with fear
  • Spanish: atemorizar — to disturb with fear
  • Spanish: amedrentar — to disturb with fear
  • Spanish: asustar — to disturb with fear
  • Spanish: amedrantar — to disturb with fear
  • Spanish: aspaventar — to disturb with fear
  • Swahili: -ogofya — to disturb with fear
  • Swahili: -ogofisha — to disturb with fear
  • Swedish: skrämma — to disturb with fear
  • Telugu: భయపడు (bhayapaḍu) — to disturb with fear
  • Turkish: korkutmak — to disturb with fear
  • Ukrainian: ляка́ти (ljakáty) — to disturb with fear
  • Ukrainian: зляка́ти (zljakáty) — to disturb with fear
  • Ukrainian: страха́ти (straxáty) — to disturb with fear
  • Ukrainian: страши́ти (strašýty) — to disturb with fear
  • Ukrainian: застраши́ти (zastrašýty) — to disturb with fear
  • Vietnamese: làm hoảng sợ — to disturb with fear
  • Walloon: sbarer — to disturb with fear
  • Walloon: fé sogne — to disturb with fear
  • Welsh: dychryn — to disturb with fear
  • Zazaki: tersanen — to disturb with fear