scare

plural scares

1. A minor fright.

   Johnny had a bad scare last night.

   1 more example

   England were held to a draw after surviving a major scare against Switzerland as they were forced to come from two goals behind to earn a point in the Euro 2012 qualifier at Wembley.

   2011 June 4, Phil McNulty, “England 2 - 2 Switzerland”, in BBC

2. A cause of terror or alarm; a panic; something that inspires fear or dread.

   a food-poisoning scare

3. A device or object used to frighten.

   But I admit the possibility of their being used as "scares" for either birds of prey or snakes, or both.

   1948, Alec H. Chisholm, Bird Wonders of Australia, page 153

present singular third person scares · participle present scaring · participle past scared · past scared

1. transitiveTo frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way.

   Did it scare you when I said "Boo!"?

   4 more examples

   That cannot be; the noise of thy crossbow / Will scare the herd, and so my shoot is lost.

   c. 1591–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Third Part of Henry the Sixt, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i], lines 6-7

   Late triumphs of Russian science are scaring the very dogwater out of large elements in our society, and we both fear more "purging" instead of more effort at catching up.

   1957 October 20, Roy Bedichek, “to John Henry Faulk”, in Letters of Roy Bedichek, Austin, T.X.: University of Texas Press, published 1985, →ISBN, page 507

   (Laurel Stevenson) Would you please be quiet? You're scaring the little girl. (Craig Toomey) Scaring the little girl?! Scaring the little girl?! Lady!

   1995, The Langoliers

   In other words, the transaction is preferred because it is the best of bad choices. And at least one study has found that when management preannounces a deal it results in lower premiums presumably because it scares off other bidders.

   2013 February 5, Steven Davidoff Solomon, “Reasons to Be Suspicious of Buyouts Led by Management”, in The New York Times

2. intransitive(To be able) to be scared.

   I don't scare easily.

comparative more scare · superlative most scare

1. lean; scanty