scare

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• Received-Pronunciation: /skɛə/
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• General-American: /skɛɚ/
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• US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• dialectal: /skɪə(ɹ)/
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• Australian: /skeː/
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• New-Zealand: /skeə/ without the cheer–chair merger
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• /skiə/ New Zealand, cheer–chair merger
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• Scotland: /skeɹ/
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• /skɜː(ɹ)/ Lancashire, fair–fur merger
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• rhymes with -ɛə(ɹ)
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• CMU ARPABET: S K EH1 R Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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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”).

117 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Azerbaijani: qorxu — minor fright
• Bulgarian: уплаха (uplaha) — minor fright
• Chinese Mandarin: 驚嚇 /惊吓 (jīngxià) — minor fright
• Chinese Mandarin: 吃驚 /吃惊 (chījīng) — minor fright
• Chinese Mandarin: 驚懼 /惊惧 (jīngjù) — minor fright
• Danish: forskrækkelse — minor fright
• Finnish: säikähdys — minor fright
• French: peur — minor fright
• Galician: susto — minor fright
• German: Schreck — minor fright
• Greek: φοβίζω (fovízo) — minor fright
• Irish: scanradh — minor fright
• Italian: timore — minor fright
• Japanese: 怯え (obie) — minor fright
• Japanese: 恐怖 (kyōfu) — minor fright
• Portuguese: susto — minor fright
• Russian: испу́г (ispúg) — minor fright
• Russian: страх (strax) — minor fright
• Russian: па́ника (pánika) — minor fright
• Spanish: susto — minor fright
• Swahili: ukalili — minor fright
• Bulgarian: плашило (plašilo) — something that inspires fear
• Finnish: pelätti — something that inspires fear
• Finnish: kauhu — something that inspires fear
• Italian: spavento — something that inspires fear
• Italian: paura — something that inspires fear
• Japanese: 恐怖 (kyōfu) — something that inspires fear
• Japanese: 脅威 (kyōi) — something that inspires fear
• Russian: пу́гало (púgalo) — something that inspires fear
• Russian: жу́пел (žúpel) — something that inspires fear
• Swahili: ukalili — something that inspires fear
• Arabic: أَفْزَعَ (ʔafzaʕa) — to frighten
• Armenian: վախեցնել (vaxecʻnel) — to frighten
• Aromanian: aspar — to frighten
• Aromanian: spar — to frighten
• Azerbaijani: qorxutmaq — to frighten
• Azerbaijani: qorxuzmaq — to frighten
• Belarusian: пало́хаць (palóxacʹ) — to frighten
• Bulgarian: плаша (plaša) — to frighten
• Burmese: ခြောက် (hkrauk) — to frighten
• Catalan: espantar — to frighten
• Catalan: espaventar — to frighten
• Chinese Mandarin: 嚇唬 /吓唬 (xiàhu) — to frighten
• Chinese Mandarin: 使害怕 (shǐ hàipà) — to frighten
• Czech: polekat — to frighten
• Czech: postrašit — to frighten
• Czech: vyděsit — to frighten
• Czech: vylekat — to frighten
• Danish: skræmme — to frighten
• Dutch: bang maken — to frighten
• Dutch: beangstigen — to frighten
• Dutch: angst aanjagen — to frighten
• Dutch: laten schrikken — to frighten
• Dutch: doen schrikken — to frighten
• Dutch: verschrikken — to frighten
• Esperanto: timigi — to frighten
• Finnish: pelästyttää — to frighten
• Finnish: säikäyttää — to frighten
• French: effrayer — to frighten
• Galician: espantar — to frighten
• Galician: atemorizar — to frighten
• Galician: asustar — to frighten
• German: erschrecken — to frighten
• German: beängstigen — to frighten
• German: ängstigen — to frighten
• Gothic: 𐍉𐌲𐌾𐌰𐌽 (ōgjan) — to frighten
• Greek: τρομάζω (tromázo) — to frighten
• Greek: φοβίζω (fovízo) — to frighten
• Ancient Greek: πτήσσω (ptḗssō) — to frighten
• Ancient Greek: φοβέω (phobéō) — to frighten
• Ancient Greek: φοβερίζω (phoberízō) — to frighten
• Hindi: डराना (ḍarānā) — to frighten
• Ingrian: pölässyttää — to frighten
• Ingrian: aroittaa — to frighten
• Irish: cuir eagla ar — to frighten
• Irish: scanraigh — to frighten
• Italian: spaventare — to frighten
• Italian: impaurire — to frighten
• Italian: spaurire — to frighten
• Japanese: 威かす (odokasu) — to frighten
• Japanese: 驚かす (odorokasu) — to frighten
• Korean: 놀래키다 (nollaekida) — to frighten
• Ladino: espantar — to frighten
• Latin: terreō — to frighten
• Latin: timeor — to frighten
• Latvian: baidīt — to frighten
• Latvian: biedēt — to frighten
• Latvian: biedināt — to frighten
• Central Sierra Miwok: šeký-ŋe — to frighten
• Old English: grēosan — to frighten
• Persian: ترساندن (tarsândan) — to frighten
• Polish: straszyć — to frighten
• Portuguese: assustar — to frighten
• Romanian: speria — to frighten
• Romanian: înspăimânta — to frighten
• Russian: пуга́ть (pugátʹ) — to frighten
• Russian: испуга́ть (ispugátʹ) — to frighten
• Russian: напуга́ть (napugátʹ) — to frighten
• Russian: страши́ть (strašítʹ) — to frighten
• Russian: устраша́ть (ustrašátʹ) — to frighten
• Sicilian: scantari — to frighten
• Sikkimese: དཀྲོགས (dkrogs) — to frighten
• Slovene: prestrašiti — to frighten
• Lower Sorbian: tšachaś — to frighten
• Spanish: asustar — to frighten
• Spanish: atemorizar — to frighten
• Spanish: espantar — to frighten
• Spanish: amedrentar — to frighten
• Spanish: amedrantar — to frighten
• Spanish: dar miedo — to frighten
• Swahili: ukalili — to frighten
• Swedish: skrämma — to frighten
• Turkish: korkutmak — to frighten
• Ukrainian: ляка́ти (ljakáty) — to frighten
• Ukrainian: наляка́ти (naljakáty) — to frighten
• Ukrainian: зляка́ти (zljakáty) — to frighten
• Welsh: dychryn — to frighten