petrify

But the department’s letter was sent days ago without public comment, and its reported warning that the lottery may be illegal isn’t likely to petrify scofflaws such as Musk and Trump.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 24, 2024

Imperfect though “Romulus” may be, it’s also a solid entry in a slate of films whose original maker has taken the extended story seriously enough to petrify it.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2024

“But you’ve just got to stay ready whenever your opportunities come. They just come and go, so you’ve just got to stay ready for it you. Can’t really petrify yourself for the time being.”

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 21, 2023

This should petrify his colleagues — and the rest of the country, too.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 23, 2023

“Same as your minotaur horn. But don’t unwrap the head. It can still petrify you.”

From "The Lightning Thief" by Rick Riordan

"They're being sold as generic medications, and that petrifies me."

From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2025

One can imagine how the thought of going to jail petrifies him.

From Salon ● May 10, 2024

It petrifies teachers who fear their students will use it instead of their brains for school papers.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 6, 2023

As the resin petrifies and turns into amber, it preserves whatever gets stuck inside of it—including insects, slime molds and even pint-sized dinosaurs—in a gold-tinted time capsule.

From Scientific American ● Jan. 12, 2023

Materialism coarsens and petrifies everything; makes everything vulgar and every truth false.

From Amiel's Journal by Mrs. Humphry Ward

In a movie industry petrified of losing people’s interest, there’s something almost subversive about “not hiding from characters talking,” as McDonagh describes his specialty.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

Tracy, who was raised at the farm in Llanbister in Powys, would sometimes think about calling Childline as she said she felt so petrified.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

“I kinda sorta put my acting career on hold the other day. It’s been something I’ve been petrified to do for years,” Krumholtz said in a post on Threads, per Deadline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026

“I don’t think I’d be doing my job right if I wasn’t petrified every time I put a film out.”

From Salon ● Jul. 19, 2026

He was petrified of water, and he was greedy when it came to sweets.

From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova

The reason I’m so fascinated with a subject I find petrifying is that math has become proof of how AI can warp an entire field—and how fast it can happen.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

A family have told of the "petrifying" moment a tree smashed through the windows of their house in the Highlands during Storm Amy.

From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2025

The self-infantilizing is disconcerting to watch, and no doubt petrifying to experience firsthand, but Gaga dodges the fan and gets into her waiting vehicle.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2025

After proving that I would be a viable “Survivor” contestant, we went in search of the truly petrifying item on our list.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 14, 2023

Worse still, it isn’t actually necessary to look to space for petrifying danger.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson