frighten

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Chinese officials first tried to frighten Ms. Takaichi off such a hawkish line with insulting rhetoric.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

Johnson had hoped that running noisy appliances — the dishwasher and the laundry spin cycle — would scare the bear away, but all the noise managed to do was frighten his cat.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2025

Sanctions still hurt the targeted country, but they no longer frighten the market, especially if loosely enforced.

From Barron's • Nov. 20, 2025

They now have quality players in attack who are full of confidence, who can frighten opposition defenders.

From BBC • Aug. 17, 2025

“I just thought,” he added, “if she was meaning any harm to Lyra, it might frighten her a bit.”

From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman