frighten

Word parts

fright + -en

Pronunciation

• IPA ^(key): /ˈfraɪtn̩/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Hyphenation: frigh‧ten

Verb

Plain form frighten

Third-person singular frightens

Past tense frightened

Past participle frightened

Present participle frightening

1. (transitive) If you frighten somebody, you make them feel afraid.
   • Synonyms: worry, upset and scare

   You are shouting at me and frightening your daughters.

   It made so much noise that it frightened away the animals.

Related words

• frightful
• frightening
• frightened
• frighteningly
• frightener
• frightfully