scare someone out of their wits

verb

To frighten someone to such an extent that they behave irrationally.

“He scared me out of my wits, sneaking up behind me in the dark like that.”

Similar
frighten someone out of their wits
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Meanings

verbscare someone out of their wits (third-person singular simple present scares someone out of their wits, present participle scaring someone out of their wits, simple past and past participle scared someone out of their wits)

present singular third person scares someone out of their wits · participle present scaring someone out of their wits · participle past scared someone out of their wits · past scared someone out of their wits

  1. informaltransitiveTo frighten someone to such an extent that they behave irrationally.

    He scared me out of my wits, sneaking up behind me in the dark like that.

    Synonyms: frighten someone out of their wits

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo frighten someone to such an extent that they behave irrationally.

Similar
frighten someone out of their wits
Also see
scare someone out of their mind
Cite this entry
APA

scare someone out of their wits. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scare%20someone%20out%20of%20their%20wits

MLA

“scare someone out of their wits.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scare%20someone%20out%20of%20their%20wits. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “scare someone out of their wits,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/scare%20someone%20out%20of%20their%20wits.

Source: scare someone out of their wits on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.